When I was a girl I would sit at my desk in my room and make up homework to do. In short, I was a little nerd and I never quite out grew it. I need to be growing and learning but financial and time constraints derailed my dreams of being a professional college student. So what’s a girl to do? I’m glad you asked.

I joined my first “club” four years ago but only because I was lured there with the promise of wine, lots and lots of wine. Spending evenings with the ladies of “BookIt”, I learned so much more than I did in many of my college lit courses. Rather than approaching a book with a learning agenda, we let the conversation take us wherever. For instance, did you know that the narwhal whale is believed to have spawned the myth of the unicorn? I learned that while discussing The Whale Rider with a woman who studied marine biology in Melbourne.

Shortly after my stint with the book ladies, I started stamping with a wonderful group of women. I have never been a visually artistic person. Ever. I was convinced that I would be a complete failure at this stamping thing. But with laughter and a truckload of patience, they taught me how to tap into my dormant artiste.

Wine clubs are not only an opportunity to get tipsy with friends but also to learn about soils and climate and ITALY. Who doesn’t want to know more about Italy, the birthplace of pasta and Raoul Bova? Mmmm, pasta.

Who needs a college professor when we have each other and Google? We are the educators and the students. Each of us has something to share and something to learn. Mom-o-matic just blogged about the magazine: Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee and since I’m semi-domestic I had to check it out. You should too. You just might learn something.

Photo by Kagey_b

By Genevieve Blaber, College: U Got It?, @CollegeBoundnet

Any mother knows that taking care of children, career, and household can be time-consuming and more than a little daunting. But that doesn’t mean you should, or even have to, give up your career goals. Thanks to the prevalence of online degree programs, career schools, and community colleges, mothers all over the country now have the chance to increase their career potential without sacrificing their family lives. In fact, while the thought of returning to school may seem like a self-indulgent fantasy, it’s a wise move that may benefit you and your family in the long-run.

If you don’t believe us, check out some of these recent stats and figures and think about whether you can afford to give up your career future.

• There’s already a gender gap to contend with, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Women who worked full time in 2008 made 20.75 percent less than men when it came to median weekly earnings.

• Across the United States, the wage gap causes the working families to lose $200 billion in income each year, according to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
• Learning equals earning. Amongst full-time workers age 25 and over, the median weekly wages for workers with associate degrees was $727 as compared to $620 for those who had only graduated from high school. Bachelor’s degree recipients did even better with $999 a week, says the BLS.
• According to the New York Times, women are more likely to be involved in industries where the employment rate is not as susceptible to the state of the economy. Such fields include health care and education.
• The top five best state economies for working women according to InfoPlease.com are: the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Vermont. To contrast, the five worst are: Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
• The top five occupations that offered the highest median salaries for women who worked full time were: pharmacists, chief executives, lawyers, computer and information systems managers, and computer software engineers.
• Women currently make up 46 percent of the nation’s workforce and that number is expected to grow a full percentage point over the seven years.
• According to the AFL-CIO, each woman who works in a predominantly male profession makes $3,446 less than her male co-workers every year.

For additional Posts from the #GNO lifelong learning Panelists:

• College Surfing Insider
• Spa Beauty schools
• College Bound
• Holistic Junction

Are you interested in finding out what types of colleges are near you? Or how to locate a good accredited online university? You can search through the Collegebound Network to find both!
We just got word of this amazing offer from Future Scholars, wow Free 5 college credits!

Topic: Lifelong learning, including distance learning!

What: GNO
(What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)

Where: Tweet Grid (use the #gno hashtag)

When: From 9 pm EST (8 CST, 7 CST, and 6 PST)

Who: Featured panelists
Gina LaGuardia, Former editor-in-chief of CollegeBound Teen Magazine, editorial director for The CollegeBound Network, @GinaLaGuardia

Keith Bourne, AdaptiveCampus, @AdaptiveCampus

Capella University representative, @CapellaU

Nicole Russo, Capella University student and single mom of nine-year old; working online toward a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling degree, @NicatCapella

RSVP: Use Mr. Linky in sidebar (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF).

Enter to win our giveaway for a summer vacation to Park City Mountain Resort. Entries due Tues., Mar. 17.

What Topics Will We Cover?
All these questions and more answered at Mom It Forward’s #GNO Tues.!

Why moms should consider a return to school (statistics about those who learn/earn; inspiring your family; recreating your professional path; etc.)

How you can balance babies and the books?

What’s online learning really like?

Doing your homework *before* you dive in

How the latest economic stimulus plan affects obtaining an education

Popular programs to consider, and why

What are ways in which you can be a lifelong learner and not have your education stop in the classroom?

• How can you instill in your children a love of learning?
• How can you earn a college or advanced degree given your busy schedule as a mom?
• In this economy, does it make financial sense for me to return to school? If so, what are my options?
• What programs are available to me if I choose to learn a trade instead of going with a traditional institution?
• What’s the value in earning a degree if I don’t plan on having a career?
• How can I apply my degree as a working at home mom?

And we just got word of this amazing offer from Future Scholars, wow Free 5 college credits!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr and Flickr.)

By Dawn Papandrea, Managing Editor, CollegeSurfing.com, @CollegeSurfing

If you’re home caring for young children, chained to your office desk, or live in the boondocks far away from the nearest university, going back to school is probably the dustiest item on your massive to-do list. It’s been long buried by the piles of family obligations, 60-hour work weeks, and time and space limitations that manifest themselves. Let’s face it — life sometimes gets in the way of your educational goals. But achieving those goals can improve your quality of life and income potential. A vicious Catch 22…

Thanks to technology, though, you can be in two places at once. Really! The proof lies with the millions of online learning graduates out there who’ve attended classes between diaper changes or conference calls. Today’s students are quite lucky to have this quality learning platform that basically didn’t exist even 10 years ago. Yes, my friends, online learning has come a long way — better quality, way more acceptance in the workplace and in academia, and many more reputable colleges and universities offering a wide variety of programs than ever before. In fact, it’s estimated that two-thirds of higher education institutions offered distance education courses in 2006-2007, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Before you take the plunge into cyber learning…

• Be sure you make time to research the programs you’re considering. Your first step should be to verify that the school of choice is accredited (you wouldn’t want to invest in a “fake” degree).
• Think about your individual learning style, and whether or not it will be conducive to the way the program of study is designed. Remember, you’ll have to motivate yourself to log on and get your assignments done — there will be no micromanaging teacher over your shoulder. But really, when you think about it, adults are already used to this type of individual accountability since it’s not much different than how you’re expected to perform at work.
• Consider the financial perks. There aren’t any commuting or child care costs to tack on since your home (or wherever you are) is your classroom. And in most cases, expensive textbooks aren’t needed since everything is usually done online via message boards, email, and even real-time class sessions. By the way — the vast majority of accredited online programs offer the same type of financial aid opportunities as traditional classroom programs do.
• If you’re computer savvy enough to read this blog, you’re tech-ready for online learning. Advanced computing skills are not required. However, be prepared to brush up your writing and communication skills, as that will be the primary way for you to interact with your classmates and professors.

What do you think? If going back to school is something you’ve been wanting to move up on your to-do list, online learning is definitely worth some thought.

Join us to discuss moms back at school on Twitter.com, March 2nd, from 9 p.m. -11 p.m. EST. RSVP with Mr Linky in sidebar, and use the hashtag #GNO in your Tweets. And, see Moms Back at School right now for specific resources just for you.