How To Juggle College And A Full-Time Job Like A Pro

Are you a college student working to cover the cost of your education? Maybe you’re an older adult interested in going back to school to advance in your profession or switch careers. Although not impossible, earning a degree and sustaining a full-time job is challenging. Both demand your undivided attention and will require a significant amount of time and effort to accomplish. While you shouldn’t be discouraged from achieving your dreams, anyone taking this path is encouraged to develop a plan for success. 

Talk To Your Employer

Start by sharing your professional and educational goals with your employer. Although it’s not an obligation, it’s a sign of respect. It conveys that you care about your job and want to evolve as a professional. Talking about your desires to return to college (or your current status in college) also enables your employer to make more informed management decisions related to scheduling, time off, or delegating assignments. 

While the hope is that you’ll be an outstanding student and employee, your employer is already in the loop if issues arise in the workplace that are outside of the norm. Instead of taking disciplinary action, your employer is more inclined to cut you some slack or offer suggestions and resources to help you find a better balance. 

Get Serious About Time Management

You only have 24 hours a day, and eight of those are devoted to your job. When you factor in personal responsibilities, your availability decreases further. If you’re going to fit college into your schedule, you must get serious about time management. You must be intentional about making the most of the time you have to be productive and reach your goals. 

Create a realistic schedule that you can stick to. Eliminate any tasks or activities that aren’t conducive to your overall goals. Ask for assistance from friends and family with time-consuming tasks. Then, block out segments of your day to accommodate your responsibilities at home, school, and in the office. A realistic schedule should also include downtime and periodic breaks to ensure you don’t burn yourself out. 

Using calendars, planners, alarms, and time management applications can help you stay organized and on track throughout the day. 

Tap Into Helpful Resources

You’re not the first to attempt a degree while working a full-time job, and you won’t be the last. There are various resources available to make each area of your life more manageable. Use these resources to avoid some of the common problems that cause people to fall short of their dreams. 

For instance, meal delivery plans, housekeeping services, and babysitters can help you find balance with your home life. It makes everyday tasks like preparing meals, household chores, and watching your kids less stressful. Professionally, you might need to hire an assistant, delegate more tasks to co-workers, work remotely a few days a week, or utilize cloud-based collaboration tools to manage projects on the go. 

Academically, you may find resources like online forums, digital libraries, study partners, and tutors helpful with completing assignments and getting extra help when you’re struggling. For example, if you’re trying to get into law school, searching for “LSAT tutors near me”, could increase your chances of passing a rigorous test. 

Prioritize Health And Wellness

When you’re trying to juggle many responsibilities, it’s easy to overlook your health and wellness. You become so consumed with work, school, and home life that you forget to eat, stop exercising, don’t get enough sleep, and even neglect essential grooming and hygiene practices. These sacrifices might seem minor, but they can have a significant impact over time. 

If you’re not physically and emotionally well, it reduces your ability to perform well in any area of your life. So, make it a point to prioritize your well-being. Eat three well-balanced meals, stay hydrated, work out a few times a week, get at least eight hours of sleep, and incorporate skincare, hygiene, and grooming routines into your day. 

Achieving a higher education can help you accomplish more in your personal and professional life. Be that as it may, trying to juggle college with everything else you have going on is no easy feat. While you shouldn’t assume it’s an impossible goal, it would behoove you to use suggestions like those listed above to help make the journey an easier experience.