It can be easy to feel the call back to the university. After all, there are many interesting things in the world, and if you're hoping to expand your horizon, qualifications, or career potential, there's little better than a degree.
While location is a minimal barrier to entry due to faculties like the University of Canberra offering online tuition, working and studying can be difficult to manage.
It can be easy to feel like your job leaves you no time for personal endeavours. However, generally, employers are happy to facilitate the further education of their employees. This is a unique area where juggling many tasks doesn't have to be overwhelming. Let's explore some ways to maintain your peace of mind while juggling school and work.
1 - Covering Your Bases
Unfortunately, going to university isn't as easy as applying and getting a degree. It's an investment in time, resources, and energy. If you're working, these are resources you'll have to take away from your employer, forcing them to hire someone to pick up the slack or saddle someone else on your team with the extra responsibilities. If you have a family, working and studying simultaneously will also remove some of this time, energy, and finances from them.
The first thing you have to do is talk with your family about what you're considering. This will be a long, detailed discussion and will require a lot of thorough research as to the demands of the course and how it will work with your family's life.
Once you have that sorted out, you take all this information to your boss and tell them you want to pursue extra study. Because you're asking for a fixed period of less obligation to the company, they may want to see evidence that your further education benefits the company. This is best framed as an opportunity to advance your career, as employers will be more inclined to assist with their employees' education if it can benefit them.
2 - Time Management
Now may be the time to invest in some helpful time management methods. A timetable or diary will be essential to this period of your life. There is no shortage of time management devices or products. Phones are an amazing device, and these days, shared calendars are a beautiful way for families to keep in the loop with each other's plans. Not to mention setting alarms and reminders for certain obligations that need to be fulfilled.
3 - Is Your Eye Bigger Than Your Stomach?
It can be tempting to take on a huge study load, as well as work and family, and get your study done quickly. However, it doesn't take a genius to work out why that is a bad idea. Taking on a full workload while working full time with a family means something will eventually drop. Your marks will suffer. The quality of your work will diminish. Your family will never see you. Not to mention a lack of sleep, more stress, constant demands on your time, and no opportunity to wind down. Taking on too much study while working will almost inevitably result in the dreaded burnout. Always be open to examining your hours and shuffling things around/taking on less study while working.
4 - Boundaries
You will have to get comfortable setting and establishing firm boundaries with your university, employer, and family. Your concentration and mental load will be more taxed than ever; you need to be able to enforce your needs.
If your employer is giving you too much work, you need to stipulate that according to your agreement when you initially approached them about it, they would not overburden you during your studies. With your university, you need to get comfortable asking for extra time for tasks or clemency if you can't make classes due to work and family commitments. And from your family, you need to ask not to be disturbed while working or studying. This can only be a good experience if all involved are respectful.
5 - Keep Your Promises
This isn't just keeping the integrity of your family and employer. You will have a lot of time away from your family, so you'll need to be a bit more attentive when you are with them and communicate easily about what you're dealing with. So far as your employer, make sure you're meeting the stipulations of whatever arrangement you made with them. However, you also need to make sure you're keeping your promises to yourself. Otherwise, this is all for nought. Don't succumb to the temptation to abandon your studies! It'll be worth it when you get that degree!
6 - Unwind
You've had to take the kids to school, work all day, pick the kids up, cook dinner, help the kids with homework, help your partner wash up, sit down to study, go to bed, wake up, and repeat.
Not a very restful time, is it? Relaxing is a huge part of physical and mental health, and making time to unwind is essential to maintaining your mental wellness during this period.
7 - Sleep
We’re making this a separate entry to unwind because unwinding can take a lot of different forms, but there’s only one way to sleep. Sleep deprivation has been linked to illness, depression, and anxiety and has even been shown to induce psychotic effects such as hallucinations and paranoia.
Congratulations Graduate
You did it! You made it to the end of the article. Now, you should have a better understanding of what preparation you can do to pursue your further study while you're working, as well as what studying and working simultaneously may demand from you. There are huge benefits to studying this way; just make sure you've thought carefully about it, that you've consulted all who need to be, and that you're going into this with the right frame of mind. Good luck.
This article is part of the HealthManagement.org Point-of-View Programme.
