Essential Tips for Busy Parents on How to Balance Family Life and Electrical Career Growth
This post may contain affiliate links which might earn us money. Please read my Disclosure and Privacy policies hereWhen you are single and you donβt have a family to worry about, it is much easier to focus on your career and spend time enhancing your skills and expertise. But, even a busy parent can still have career growth, just in a different way, with a different approach.
Yes, itβs challenging, and sometimes it might seem overwhelming, but in the end, youβre going to feel so happy that you did it because your whole family will benefit from it, not just you as an individual.
Electrical work is so sensitive, and with technology that is evolving rapidly, you need to stay ahead of all industry trends in order to do your job efficiently. Fortunately, there are online programs that can provide you flexibility with a schedule, which you definitely need in order to not sacrifice too much of your personal time but still gain the knowledge needed for your career growth.
You can manage to fulfill all your obligations, from meal preparation to school runs and household chores, and still find the time to continue your education in your field of expertise. If you are wondering how to achieve all that, here are some practical tips that are going to be very helpful, for sure.
Flexible Learning for Busy Schedules
With all your chores as a family person, it is probably hard for you to commit to an education program that requires a lot of your personal time and a strict schedule. That is why online courses, for example, are the perfect choice for busy parents.
First of all, you can attend them from the comfort of your home as long as theyβre available in the state you live in. In that way, you can get into programs like electrical continuing education in Hawaii or any other state you are living with similar programs, such as California, Texas, Florida, etc. Each state can have mandates in regard to continuing education for hands-on jobs (which may differ by state).
So in the case of Hawaii, all licensed electricians (EJ, EJI, EJS, ES, ESI, ESS) will be required to complete four hours of continuing education in order to renew their license. Maintenance electricians (EM) are an exemption, however, itβs still good practice to do so because they help electricians (or any other hands-on professional) to refresh their knowledge on the whats and the hows as well as safety.
These programs are basically tailored for individuals who are willing to advance their careers without having to sacrifice personal time.
What do online programs for continuing education (usually) offer?
Set Priorities
You donβt need to do dozens of tasks each day because thatβll leave you a very small time window for spending time with your family. With online courses, you can focus on completing the most important tasks and learning sessions each day and still have time for your loved ones.
Create a Routine
If you have a consistent schedule, that will be good for your family as well as for your professional commitments. For example, you can spare an hour or two in the early morning or in the evening, depending on your other obligations, and use that time for coursework.
Involve the Family
It is important that you explain to your family members what your goals are and why you are going to spend some time doing an online education course. That will make it easier for them to understand the importance of your obligations, and they will feel involved in the process. You can even let your children see you study because, in that way, you are setting a good example for them about the value of education.
Break It Down
If you get caught up in too much coursework, you might feel overwhelmed. That is why it would be wise to divide them into smaller sections and solve them one at a time.
Use Downtime Wisely
You can finish some short tasks, like watching a quick tutorial, while you have short breaks during the day. For example, you can do it while you are waiting in the school pick-up line or while your children are doing homework at home.
Benefits of Electrical Career Growth for Parents
If you invest in your professional electrical development, benefits will go beyond career progress. For parents, advancement usually reflects how it affects their family. And one thing every parent worries when it comes to supporting the family is β financial stability. If you invest in your further education in an industry like electrical, which is very competitive and demand growing, you will gain the opportunities to secure your familyβs future.Β
Another important benefit is boosting self-confidence and creating a sense of personal accomplishment. This also reflects on your family in a way that a satisfied and happy parent is a positive example for his children.
Of course, there are practician benefits of electrical skills, that are also very important. With newly gained skills you can help with home improvement projects such as installing lighting, upgrading electrical panels, or fixing minor issues, etc.
Conclusion
After all said above, the most important thing for you is to know that you can still have career growth regardless of your full schedule as a busy parent. There are ways, like online electrical continuing education programs, where you can have the necessary flexibility in order to fulfill all your obligations but never neglect your children's needs.
If you continue to learn and grow, that will create more opportunities for you in the future and also set a great example for your children on how to stay determined and ambitious and how important education is.