I just finished my AS (only had a HS diploma and a certificate prior) last month, company paid. It will do nothing for my current position. But I've been at the company for almost 17 years, so it helps to "freshen up" my resume should I need it down the road, it also makes me look "better" if I wind up applying for my boss's job in a few years when she retires (her job does not require a degree of any sort, but I figure having one certainly won't hurt).
I started back to college when my daughter was 8 months old. I was nursing her and working full time on top of class/studying. I'm not the most ambitious or hard working person...so if I can do it anyone can. What I will say is that it will likely be MUCH easier to do it now when your child is an infant/toddler than it will be later when they are an older toddler or school aged child. The older they are the more of your full attention they need/want. It was the last 6 months of school that was hardest for me, my daughter was 3 going on 4 and wanted ALL of my attention. By the time I put her to bed at 8 PM I was exhausted, but still had 2 hours of school work to do most nights. When she was an infant and young toddler, it was a breeze to fit in school work during her nap times and she went to bed at 7 or 7:30 - you wouldn't thing 30-60 minutes makes a big different but for me at least, it really did. And she didn't nap much past age two so that shot to shit the couple of hours of studying I could do on the weekends during the day (my husband works nights and weekends so he's always asleep during the day).
Because it is much harder now (as well as some other things going on in other areas of my life), I'm taking at least a 2-3 year break before I even consider if I want to go back and complete my BA. By then I'll be early to mid-40's and since I hope to retire by 60 I don't know if it will be worth it from a job perspective, although I may still do it just to fulfill a personal goal of being a college graduate. You're in a much better spot, you've already got the AA/AS, you just need a few more years for the BA/BS.
So, in short - I feel a degree is better to have than not, and it's easier to do when the kid(s) are super little than when they are older and want (and deserve) more of your time and attention. The next 2-3 years are going to FLY by, I swear. If you don't do it now, 3 years will pass...and I promise you...you'll still be wondering if you should be going back for that degree. Only it's going to be a lot harder with an older child (and maybe a 2nd on the way, who knows!). Just do it and be done with it.
