Tips on Combining Working and Schooling

What are some tips for schooling and working? It is one of the top questions we get from many students. So we often see that students have the strong urge to be independent once they get into the higher institution, and it is sometimes scary but also courageous.

With the urge to be independent comes the desire to work and fend for themselves. Therefore, we see many students working while schooling. Sadly, the truth is not everyone can combine working and schooling. Even those who try often struggle with finding a balance. It is why we always get questions on tips these students can use to strike a balance between both ends.

Now, let us look at the story of Rose, for example. Rose got admission into Lagos City Polytechnic last year, and she came in eager to earn the best grades. We have to commend her focus as she has been doing excellently. However, she reached out some weeks back, stating that she has been applying for jobs as she wishes to work while schooling.

Rose’s reason was that she did not want to always depend on her parents for funds, so she wished to make money. Of course, we understood the reason, but we also had to let her know that combining work and school is not an easy feat. However, Rose is a convincing person, and by the time she finished with all the reasons she should work while schooling, she had bought us over.

So, we had no choice but to share some tips with her. Yesterday, she reached out to thank us for those tips, saying that they had come in handy. We were excited to get such a response from Rose, so we have decided to share these tips with everyone.

Some of the tips that can help you while working and studying are:

Be realistic

Understandably, you want to work while schooling to make ends meet, but you also have to be realistic. It is where strategic planning comes to play. Now, you have to sit and compare your timetable, to check out your free time. The goal is to know how many free hours you have in a week and get a strategic job.

Also, you must ensure that you are not overworking yourself. It is already established that school is stressful, and you cannot afford for your grades to drop. So, you need to get a job that doesn’t require many hours as you also need to rest.

Sadly, some people do not get any free hours for themselves as they are always working. It is always from work to class and vice-versa. Unfortunately, allow us to tell you that it is not realistic in the long run as your body will break down from stress.

When you break down, you will not be able to attend classes; neither will you work. Hence, you will be missing out on both ends.

So, it would be best if you were realistic when getting a job, ensuring that it does not infringe on your studies or rest time.

Learn prioritization

As a student who desires to work while schooling, you need to learn and harness prioritization skills, and allow us to tell you that you will always have many things to do. But, it will seem like you are lagging if you do not have prioritization skills. So, it would be best if you had a preference table, and you can do it weekly.

The idea here is that you get to list out your activities for the week and rank them. For example, suppose you have many things in mind to do that week, and one of them is to watch the school team playing a football match. In addition, however, there are studies, work, rest, and other personal things you need to do.

At this point, you can let go of watching the match that week and push it to another week. Then, if you see that you can do anything later, you can postpone it to ensure that you have time to carry out the important activities.

Also, allow us to tell you that working and schooling can be overwhelming. It is why you need to learn prioritization; otherwise, you will not keep up with everything.

Belong to a support group

No man is an island, and it always comes in handy when you can rely on people sometimes. We are not saying that you should be overly dependent, but it is essential to have people who can be shoulders to lean on during important moments.

There are usually conflicting emotions when combing work and school, and you may feel like giving up at some point. But if you belong to a support group, you will have people who will keep you going.

The support group could be in the form of a reading group. It can be a group of persons who come together to read. So, you will be accountable to them if you ever miss your reading time.

Understandably, you may sometimes feel tired about work and school, and you are not in the mood to read. But when you remember that people will call you and ask questions if you do not show up to read, it motivates you to read.

The support group can also be a group of people who are working while schooling. It gives you a sense of belonging, and you get to feel like you have another family. If you are ever in need, they will be there to show and give support.

Manage your time effectively

Time management skill is also important for any student who desires to work while in school. If you do not have proper time management skills, you will have issues balancing the different aspects of your life.

For example, you have assignments, classes, and work in a day. If you do not know how to manage your time properly, you might waste hours on a specific thing and creep into the hours for others.

You also know that there will be consequences if you show up late to work or class. Imagine being sent out of class for lateness because you could not properly manage your time. Of course, it would affect your studies and grades as you will be behind the class. Also, showing up late to work can lead to your termination.

It is always important to remember that working and schooling are not easy. But if you have decided to do it, you need to be responsible and ensure that you see it through to the end. We always encourage students to see it as a challenge and strive for the finish line. We can assure you that you will feel a sense of happiness and satisfaction when you can combine both activities effectively.

Work smart

Another tip that comes in handy for those who wish to work while schooling is to work smart. Yes, if you do not work smart, you are setting yourself up for failure. Now, we know that you might be confused about what it means to work smart.

For example, you are a freelance writer in school, and you have to combine the different gigs and projects with your studies. In this case, the idea of working smart is to know the number of jobs you can deliver.

Unfortunately, some students become greedy and can accept up to ten projects but fail to deliver them. Or, they will struggle and have sleepless nights, and it will negatively impact your studies. But, if you accept two gigs and deliver them on time, you will still make money, and it will not affect your studies.

So, working too many jobs can be seen as working hard. But to work, some jobs that you can efficiently deliver is working smart, which is the best thing for a student.

Most times, people are not productive when they accept more jobs than they can handle, leading them to lose the jobs. But, of course, we know that you do not want such a thing to happen.

Stick to your schedule

So, people have told you that it is hard to combine working and schooling, and you also got advice to always stick to your schedule. However, Grace is throwing a party and everyone, including you, got an invitation.

But, the hours for the slated party coincide with when you plan to do your assignments. So, now, you are conflicted between ditching your assignments or the party. On one part, if you do not go to the party, it would seem like you are a loser, as all the trendy kids are attending the party. But, on the other hand, you cannot do the assignment if you go to the party, and you will be too tired to do anything when you get back, and you the assignment is due, the first thing the next morning. So, you are confused about what to do.

For those who come to us for advice, we always tell them to stick to their schedule. The fact that you cannot attend that particular party does not mean you will not attend other parties before leaving the school. Also, recall what we talk about learning prioritization. At the moment, your assignment is more important than any party, so you should stick to your schedule. Else, you will have regrets.

Have effective communication skills

Every human needs to have effective communication skills, and you will also realize that you will need them as a student who is working while schooling. Now, allow us to tell you a story about a challenge Rose faced.

Some weeks after starting her job, Rose had a challenge as the lecturer had fixed an impromptu quiz. Of course, she could not afford to miss the quiz as it would tell on her grades. But, sadly, she was at work at the moment, and she only got to know about the quiz because she got a text from her friend.

Instead of sobbing or mopping around, Rose dared to talk to her manager about it. It is where having effective communication skills came to play. She explained to her manager how her lecturer had fixed a quiz, and she needed to leave work to take the quiz or fail in that course. She convinced her manager to let her go and even thought up ways to make up for it. Luckily, her manager permitted her, and she was able to rush out and take the quiz.

It would not have been possible if she did not have effective communication skills.

Have time for relaxation

It may be funny hearing that you need to relax as a student who is working. And, whenever we give this advice to students, they usually laugh and say that there is no time to rest. They further tell us that if they decide to rest, it will affect their work or studies.

However, we counter by telling them that if they do not create time for relaxation, it will affect their lives and be more drastic. After all, we are sure that you have heard that all work and no play make Jack a dull work.

The goal is to have a balanced equation between your work and school life. And, the work way this is possible is when you create time to relax. Also, you will be more productive when you are well-rested.

If you do not rest, you will have eye bags and find it hard to concentrate. Thus, you will always space out during classes, and you can even become clumsy at work. All these will have negative impacts, but you can avoid them.

Even in the busiest schedule, you need to create time to relax, and you will be thankful that you did.

Avoid procrastinating

Many people are guilty of procrastination, which can negatively affect you when you are working and schooling.

For example, you have a deadline to meet at work, but you keep shifting the job instead of working on it during your free time. So, you lose track of time, and you have only a few hours until the deadline. But, unfortunately, you are currently choked with schoolwork at that moment, and you cannot do the job.

In such a situation, you become sad and wonder how time flew so fast and begin to wish that you had more time. Sometimes, we even see people blaming others or external factors when it happens. However, you were the cause of the problem because you kept procrastinating, so it is your fault.

The problem with procrastination is that it puts you in such a tight corner that it becomes difficult to leave. Even when you try to do the job hurriedly, you will not do it correctly.

So, when you have a duty or responsibility to carry out, ensure that you do it immediately. It is better to do it as soon as you can and know that job is cleared from your schedule.

Stay focused

Again, allow us to repeat that it is easy to get overwhelmed or carried away when you are working and schooling. It is why we see that some people cannot strike a balance between both ends. Instead, they begin to tilt, and one side begins to overshadow the other.

Also, it would be unrealistic to think that you will not get overwhelmed when working and schooling. It happens even to the best of us. But, you must ensure that you bounce back when this happens. So, an important tip that we usually share is for the student to stay focused.

Yes, we know that it is easier said than done. However, knowing the reason why you started in the first place is what keeps you going.

Rose told us that she remembers having goal whenever she feels overwhelmed and feels like quitting one side. For Rose, she does not want to burden her parents or ever feel like she is a burden to anyone when she needs money. Also, Rose enjoys being comfortable, so Rose is working to ensure that it happens. Also, she is striving to be one of the best graduating students from the school. So, these goals keep her going and help her to stay focused.

FAQs

Here are some of the frequent questions that students usually have:

How can I work and study effectively?

You can work and study effectively by following the tips that we have highlighted above. We are not saying that it would be an easy or smooth ride, but you can do it if you are determined. Typically if you have the right mindset, everything gets smoother.

What is the best study position?

The best study position is to have a reading chair and table. This way, you are sitting in an upright position on the chair and studying. It gets you into a proper reading mood and helps you to assimilate better.

Why do I feel sleepy while studying?

The reason why you are feeling sleepy while studying is because you are too comfortable. It usually happens when you are lying down to read. It is why we advise that you use a chair and table for reading.

Conclusion

Working while studying is not an impossible mission, but you have to get it right. So, follow the tips we have highlighted below and have a smooth sail.