Studying dad Tony
has become somewhat of an expert in juggling as he
is currently studying a Masters degree in Mechanical
Engineering, working part-time and is also the primary
carer of his three beautiful children.
After spending his whole life working in retail, Tony felt
he ‘desperately needed a change.’ He says that ‘After
being told by several employers I was too old to get an
apprenticeship, I started talking to people that had or
were currently studying engineering.’ It was then that
he decided that this was what he wanted to do. Due
to Tony’s limited experience studying maths and physics,
he is quite honest about concerns around his ability to
cope with the workload. He says that ‘Getting my head
around the maths is still a challenge, but with the help of
some friends and YouTube videos, I get there in the end’.
When it comes time to study, Tony has set up a study
space in his bedroom so he can ‘hide away from the kids,
but’, he admits, ‘this isn’t the best thing when I am tired
and the bed is right behind me!’ Tony finds time for his
studies after his kids go to bed at night, when they have
naps, or he occasionally puts a movie on to entertain the
kids while he focuses on study.
Tony’s kids tell him he isn’t ‘fun anymore’, as he spends
time on his computer or reading a text book, but Tony
says his kids have ‘given me the drive to improve myself
and set a better example for them, rather than just getting
by in a job I don’t like’.
Tony’s top study tips:
• Learn how to be flexible: kids won’t necessarily fit
easily into a set schedule, so it is important to be able
to adapt.
• Apply skills you have learned in other areas of life to
study. Spending years working in retail management
taught Tony how to prioritise workloads and manage
his time, which helped when he started studying.
• When you are struggling to find the motivation to
study, think of why you started.