The Learners

I'm starting my first master's degree online while working full time, and I'm excited—but I'm also a little nervous.

One of my biggest fears about going back to school is that it will consume my life. Between work, classes, homework, and everything else that needs to get done, I don't want the next few years to mean sitting alone at home with my laptop and realizing I haven't made time to socialize or connect with new people.

So, I'm starting The Learners.

The Learners is a community for adults pursuing higher education while also navigating the rest of adult life. Many of us may be working toward master's or doctoral degrees, but anyone continuing their education as an adult is welcome.

Here's how our meetups will work:

• 15 minutes — Meet & catch up: Introduce ourselves and share what we're working on that day.
• 1 hour — Focus time: Quiet, independent schoolwork. Write your paper, read, research, study—whatever you need to get done.
• 15–30 minutes — Share what we're learning: We'll go around and each share something we're learning about. Teach us an interesting concept, tell us about your research, or share something that surprised you.

I believe one of the best ways to really understand something is to teach it to someone else. And because we're all studying different things, we'll get to learn from each other along the way.

Most importantly, I want this to be a community where we support one another. Higher education is hard, especially when you're fitting it around an already-full adult life. Let's celebrate the papers submitted, exams passed, research breakthroughs, and eventually the degrees earned.

We can work hard without doing it alone.

Bring your homework, grab a coffee, and come learn with us.