With the rising cost of tuition and the number of students who don’t want to get caught up in student loans, many are choosing to take on a part-time job while they are studying. This is a great way to either pay for your college tuition or have some extra cash on hand to help make life a bit better. But do you know what’s best? You learn to work hard and smart – both are great qualities you can use in your career, whether as a professional or business owner/entrepreneur.
You see, there’s no reason that you have to be so poor in college that you have to survive on Ramen noodles and crackers. However, when you take on a part-time job, it can be tough to balance the demands of your new job with the existing demands of your studies.
Keep reading down below to learn more about how to manage both your studies and your part-time job at the same time.
1. Make sure to develop a plan before you get started with your job
Of course, before you start up your part-time job, you have got to develop a plan of how you’re going to tackle your new responsibilities, while meeting your other demands from studies. Make sure to write down how much time you are going to be able to work while still getting your school work done. What hours are going to allow you to get home at a reasonable hour, get your homework done, and get to bed on time? Make sure to thoroughly plan out your schedule and take into account everything going on in your life to be safe.
2. Use workplace flexibility to your advantage
The best thing about having a part-time job in college is that you’re going to have tons of workplace flexibility. Be sure to check with your boss about how you can switch up your shifts if necessary. Or see if you can cut down on the hours that you spend at work if you have a huge project due at the end of the week. There are tons of ways that you can make your part-time job work for you and your studies.
3. Cut down on your time wasters and make the most of the time you have
There are plenty of ways that you can waste your time while at college. You might have friends that want to get together at every hour of the day. Or you might be tempted to watch Netflix for hours at a time, rather than doing your homework. You should take the time to determine what these time wasters are and cut them out of your life if you want to properly manage your time.
4. Don’t just work hard – work smart, instead
Many students assume the best way to balance everything is to work hard. However, if you just work hard and put hours into your work, you are going to get burned out easily. The better way of going about things is to work smart, rather than just working hard. Take the time to understand how much time you need to put into your part-time job and how much time you need to work on your school work.
5. Make sure to make your schedule proactively
You should be taking the time to schedule out your appointments, school projects, work shifts, etc. well ahead of time. When you are proactive with your scheduling, you won’t find yourself rushing around from one activity to another. You will also have more time to spend with your friends or heading home for a weekend or two to see your family members when you do this.
6. Prioritize what is most important to you on a regular basis
When you are making your to-do list for the day or the week, make sure that you are prioritizing what’s most important to you. When you do this, you will be able to determine whether school or your job is more important for the week. If you just can’t make a shift because you should spend more time working on that school project, then you can see about switching shifts with someone else at work.
7. Check on how you can make your school schedule more flexible
There are also tons of ways that you can make your school schedule more flexible if you need to spend more time at work. You can see about taking some night classes one or two days a week to make some more money at work during the day. Or you can see about taking summer classes to spread out your time. See what’s offered at your university and you can build your schedule around that.
8. Remember why you are having a part-time job at the same time as studying
The most important thing when you start having a part-time job at the same time as studying is to remember why you are doing this in the first place. Do you just need some extra cash to go around and buy some more healthy food? Or are you doing it so you can pay your college tuition fees? Or do your parents just want you to develop some more responsibility before you head out into the world? When you remember this, you will be able to determine how important work is when compared to your studies.
9. Check up on yourself and remember your personal health is the most important
When you have a part-time job at the same time as studying, you are going to feel stressed and anxious sometimes. You might find it tough to eat healthy foods, go to the gym, or remember the importance of your mental health. No matter what, you should always keep your personal health at the top of your priorities list. Without doing this, you are going to find yourself burned out super quickly and you won’t be doing well in any area of your life.
10. Figure out what to do with your stress levels
When you do feel stressed, determine whether that stress is coming from your studies, your work, or from somewhere else. When you know the root of your stress, you are going to be more likely to know what to do. If your studies are stressing you out, then it might be good to take off some shifts from work and spend more time on your homework. Or if work is stressing you out, then you can figure out a new arrangement with your boss or manager.
No matter what, you are going to feel extra stress when you have both a job and your studies to look after. Be sure to keep the above tips in mind and you are surely going to be able to balance them both effectively!