It’s no secret that going back to school can enhance your career. However, if you are a working professional who has decided to go back to school you will be presented with a whole new set of challenges.
Balancing work and school is not easy and if you’re not careful you can burn out very fast. You will need to have a strategic plan in place to ensure that you are successful. Here are some tips for balancing it all.
Take Online Courses
Taking online courses may be just what you need to balance work and school. Many schools now offer courses online. This has become the norm in recent years. It is easy to earn a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree online. Some Ph.D. programmes are online as well. You can search PHD organisational leadership online to find a great programme.
The benefit of online classes is that they are usually flexible as well as affordable and you will be able to complete your education in your own time.
Create a Study Schedule
Every week you will need to schedule a time to do your studies and your assignments. You need to create a schedule for studying and stick to it as much as possible. Consistency is key to having a good experience.
If you are not consistent you may end up not completing your programme because you feel overwhelmed or you may end up taking longer than necessary to finish. If you are organised and stick to a study schedule you will succeed.
Schedule Downtime
Even though you need to make sure that you are always on top of both school and work, if you don’t take time for yourself you will burn out very quickly. You must schedule relaxation time.
Take time to have fun with your family and friends. This will help to ensure that you stay healthy throughout the work and study process.
Take Leave
If you have been holding off on and taking vacation leaves now is the time to do it. Vacation leave is a great time for you to not only relax but to get in some extra momentum with your studies as well.
For example, if you holiday in the summer you can take some of that time to catch up on your coursework. You can also take extra classes that will count towards your programme and help you to finish faster.
Begin the Journey
Working and studying at the same time is never easy, especially when you have a family. However, if you are organised and strategic about what you are doing you can have the best of both worlds.
Just be sure that you take online classes whenever possible, create a study schedule, and stick to it. Get as much paid time off as you can and remember to put relaxation as part of your schedule.
Having a good balance of work, study, and family life is the best way to ensure that you do not experience burnout and fail to reach your goals.
This is a collaborative post.
