More and more people are now attempting to juggle college and a day job at the same time. It can’t be helped. With the economy down, you need as much help as you can get. Below are some tips to help you deal with college and work at the same time.
Communicate Your Intent to Your School and Company
One of the most important things you can ever do when trying to manage both college and working a job is to inform both parties of what you’re doing. It can be intimidating, but informing both your campus administration (and teachers) and your boss will potentially prevent issues from arising. Your teachers and your boss might be more forgiving. You might even be surprised that your boss will appreciate it as many companies would love to have a skilled employee among their ranks. Once you receive your syllabus from your school, you can then show it to your boss and ask for some leaves to adequately prepare for it.
Efficiency and Organization Are Vital
To effectively juggle both school and work, you need to be more organized and work efficiently. Understand how to make your day efficient. Do your groceries after school or work, just before you head home so you won’t have to go out again. If you’re free to decide what projects you do at school, why not tie your work in it? Organize your day, and do things efficiently. You’ll find that doing both schoolwork and your day job will be easier to manage.
Online Classes Can Help You
The 21st century has a lot of conveniences and innovations that make education all the more possible. A good example of that is the existence of online courses. You can opt for an online course for a better schedule, as many virtual schools allow you to choose your own schools. Alternatively, if you think online classes won’t be the best option for you, you can always look for the most affordable colleges in your area. What’s important here is that you cut the time for traveling as much as possible. If learning online isn’t an option, at least going to a nearby school is an alternative.
Spend Your Time Wisely
Because you’ve chosen to work and study simultaneously, you need to create a schedule and stick to it. You must do your best to fight off feelings of procrastination because your future self will not be thanking you for having to cram the night before an exam. Spending your time wisely will help you maintain a professional mindset, which is a good skill to carry over once you finish your college degree. Utilize a calendar app and schedule everything: your study time, class time, work, even your recreational activities. This is a good way to have a good idea of how much time you actually have. You’ll know if you’re overloading yourself with too many classes or if your work schedule hits with your school schedule. This also helps you plan your future activities, like an outing with friends or a family dinner.
Know Your Habits and Play to Your Strengths
One key to successfully balancing your work and studies is to know yourself and your natural tendencies. Take the time and think whether you find it easier to study at night or in the daytime and be more productive doing your schoolwork while in school, work, or home. Having this knowledge about yourself can greatly help you organize a schedule so that you don’t end up stressed and overwhelmed when there are many tasks due or when exams are coming in.
Not only that, but knowing your habits and strengths can also help you negotiate a more convenient schedule at work with your boss if you have a flexible or shifting schedule. Because you know the best times you can study and work, you can clearly discuss your shifts with your boss.
Don’t Forget to Take of Yourself
Speaking of stress and feeling overwhelmed, always remember to take breaks, eat healthily, and have enough sleep. If you find yourself squeezing too much into your schedule, either cut down on school credits or negotiate your work schedule. If you work yourself too hard to the point of having breakdowns too often, all the piled-up stress will take its toll on your body. You might end up having to stop both working and studying for a while.
Remember to eat healthy meals to aid your body in getting the nutrients it needs. Junk food may be easier to order. But it will do you more harm in the long run, and it might affect your studies because it affects your memory.
