Top tips on juggling a family and studying a part time MBA

It is possible to balance being a parent with undertaking a part time MBA degree. Here’s how many of our students make it work.

Studying an MBA is a huge commitment for anyone, regardless of age or career. But for parents with little ones to attend to, it can be particularly daunting.

However, by embracing the flexibility provided by undertaking our Master of Business Administration part time, and following some of their own practical advice, many parents are showing it can be done.  Here we ask a few of the Melbourne Business School parents for their top tips on balancing studying and parenthood responsibilities. 

From leaning on the support of student services, through to stringent time-management and shared calendars, here are some of the top tips from some of our students on how they juggle the responsibilities of studying and parenthood. 

May Wong: Communicate with your partner

Management consultant May Wong commenced her studies when her eldest child Ethan, was just a year old.

Describing her experience juggling parenthood, work and studies, she says: “When you're on maternity leave, all you hang around with is your baby and you sort of get detached from the world. I feel like studying the MBA helped me feel reconnected. I felt intelligent and simulated.”

For May, who also served as President of the School’s Student Representative Council while studying, communication and planning are key.

“The most important thing I think is to communicate with your partner. Let them know what’s ahead. Tell them why you’re doing it, what’s the purpose and why it’s meaningful. Also, let your partner go out with your cohort once in a while and let them understand what’s happening.”

She also found it helpful to inform the School about changes in personal circumstances.

“Communicate with Program Services. They’re there to help you. If you plan ahead and talk to them, they actually accommodate.”

Fiona Sherwin: Understand the requirements

After giving birth to her son Ravi, Fiona Sherwin transferred from the Executive MBA program to the Part-time MBA to give herself more flexibility.

“I spoke to the faculty before I went on leave about my options. They helped me create an individualised plan, but also left the door open in case it needed to change closer to the time I was to return to my studies. They made the process so easy.”

The Senior Transformation Partner at Monash Health says balancing her various responsibilities requires stringent time management, including studying after her son has gone to bed and using a shared diary with her husband.

“We send each other calendar events when one of us has a work or study commitment. My husband is a shift worker, so usually when he is working I’ll participate in class online from home. Or alternatively, I’ll find a babysitter.”

Fiona suggests familiarising yourself with the assignments, readings and other commitments ahead of time.

“Make sure you understand the requirements of the subject. Have a good sense of the readings and commitment that you’re going to have over the course of the term. Because if you don’t, you’re not going to be able to manage time effectively.”

Mark Perrott: Find balance through compromise

Mark, a Solutions Architect at software giant Autodesk, is father to Oliver. For him, the key to succeeding as a first-time parent and a Part-time MBA student is compromise.

“No matter how you cut and divide, you have to make some kind of compromise,” he says.

“It means you may have got a couple more points for this subject. Or you may have been able to make that better connection with someone that might be helpful to you in the future. Or you could have been there for that moment with your baby.

“If I’m letting everyone a little bit down, that means I’m probably balancing it.”

Even though the Part-time MBA offers a lot of flexibility, Mark says it still involves saying no to a lot of things.

“You’re probably not going to get to watch that Netflix series until later. You might not get to go out to those drinks that your friends had a lot of fun at. But ultimately, you’ll make it work.”

Andrew Tomlins: Maximise your spare time

Andrew Tomlins is a national operations manager for the laboratory industry and father to Marcus. Being parent to a teenager gives Andrew more flexibility, but he says this also comes with its own set of challenges.

“I think teenagers are finding out a lot about themselves and they've also got a lot of questions about the world. So, if there's questions you don't want to go: ‘Oh, sorry. I'm too busy.’ I want to be someone who he can come to and ask questions of.”

Andrew says what’s helped him as a student is being disciplined with the use of his spare time.

“Just keep plugging away,” he says.

“And if you feel like you've got a two or three-hour block, open the laptop and get on it, or communicate to your team, or read another case, prepare for that next class and just try and fit things in.

“You need to put in the time to learn. It can be hard but it's rewarding as well.”

Chantal Smith: Take the path less travelled

Chantal Smith started her MBA with the goal of finishing as quickly as possible. But the combined demands of work, study and taking care of her two boys taught her the importance of staying flexible and taking breaks.

For Chantal, this meant taking fewer subjects each term, enrolling into some of the “easier” subjects or occasionally taking a whole term off.

“I like the flexibility. The fact that I can drop in and out. That I can do one subject, I could do two, I could do three,” she says.

While this has extended the duration of her MBA, it also gives her breathing room to expand in other areas of her life – for example, recently starting a new job, her first full-time role in 10 years.

“I wouldn't have been able to transition into this role without doing the MBA,” says Chantal, a community pharmacist who is now in a strategy role for a health insurance company.

“I’m not going to have the same path as everybody else and that's okay.”  

To find out more about studying part-time at Melbourne Business School, visit our Part-Time MBA page for all the information you will need to help inform your decision.