For many, going to college doesn’t mean that the rest of life gets put on pause. Some students work full-time while attending college because there’s a family to be fed, bills to be paid and a home to keep in order. But maintaining multiple full-time responsibilities is more than challenging. Utilizing different class modes, being open with professors, communicating with your job, staying organized and taking care of yourself are all ways to help make work-college balance easier.
Utilize Online, Early Morning and Night Classes
Working full-time means most of your day is spent at work. Whether you live far away from campus or work during available class times, finding room for college is difficult. Luckily, many classes only meet twice a week with early morning, evening and virtual options. These conveniently operate around work schedules.
Another option is asynchronous classes which don’t meet throughout the week and are fully online. These are great for full-time workers because you never have to stress about getting to class around your shifts and can complete schoolwork when it’s best for you. There are even asynchronous degrees you can choose if your busy work or home life keeps you from attending physical classes.
Meet with your advisor and discuss class times and modes that work best for you so you can stay on track to earn your degree while working.
Be Open With Your Professors
The easiest path to school success while working full-time is to be open with your professors. In my experience, professors have check ins through the semester to make sure you are feeling good about their class. This is a perfect time to inform them about your work schedule, home life demands and how you feel about the workload. When professors know your schedule outside school, they’re more likely to provide extra support.
If your professors don’t have check ins or an emergency comes up, email them and let them know what’s going on. Needing a break or an extension are all normal parts of being a busy college student, especially when you work a lot.
Sometimes needing a break means missing classes but be aware of UW-Green Bay’s Attendance & Absence policy. Most professors allow 3-4 excused absences throughout the semester, but more than 3 consecutive absences result in academic consequences and the Dean of Students getting involved.
Communicate With Your Job
Along with telling professors about your work schedule, communicating with work about your school schedule is important. If your job is aware of your commitments, they are more likely to be understanding when you need time off or a shift change for school reasons.
Also, finding a job or completing work tasks that relate to your degree can help you prepare for life post-graduation. Pursuing higher education while working in a field related to your degree may help you get a higher position at your job or get experience to put on a resumé like Morgan, who balances a full-time RN job while pursuing her BSN online at UW-Green Bay.
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Otherwise, if you work at a job unrelated to your degree, ask if you can be involved in projects that would impress future employers. Any project, task or responsibility that shows a developed skill will look great on a resumé. There are many universal skills employers look for that you can develop anywhere you work.
Stay Organized and Plan Ahead
When work consumes most of your time, organization and planning are essential. It’s easy to forget about assignments when you have other responsibilities and a full-time job to tend to, but it’s important to keep track of schoolwork so you don’t fall behind.
One way I stayed organized in school while working was using a planner. While I prefer physical planners, there are tons of apps and online resources like Microsoft Excel that are equally useful. It’s difficult to document everything in a planner, but creating this habit and checking it every day ensures you stay on top of assignments. Color-code your classes and document when assignments are due in advance so you can split time between big projects that will take longer and small projects that can be done right away. This is especially important for fully online students who don’t attend physical classes to remind them of assignments or due dates.
If work and your busy life schedule cause you to fall behind, don’t worry, UW-Green Bay has resources to help—it’s not the end when you fail classes or need academic assistance. If you fail classes and are worried about graduation, look at your graduation requirements so you can stay on track.
Take Care of Yourself
When you balance multiple demands every day with little to no breaks, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself, but you’re a human being who deserves to be healthy.
If your mental and physical health aren’t in check, it will affect your work and school performance and attendance, which adds more stress to your already stressful life as a working student. In fact, there is a direct correlation between low grade point averages and depression and anxiety.
Whether it’s utilizing UW-Green Bay’s mental health resources, setting aside time each week for family and friends or exercising, taking care of yourself to meet your unique needs is crucial. Students who work full-time must find time for themselves and their health so they can rise in and out of the classroom.
As a student who works full-time, your life is extremely busy. You have two major responsibilities—work and school—to focus on every day, and it feels impossible to keep everything on track. Utilize these tips I used to help me get through full-time working as a student to ensure overall success in and out of school.