It is no doubt that attending college while working full time is an intimidating idea. Many students have to juggle their work with college because they don’t have any other choice. However, many people do it because they see the bigger picture. Whatever the case may be, no one can deny that juggling both work and college is exceptionally challenging.

The good news is that you can do both and still keep your sanity. Countless students work full time to pay tuition and support themselves without having to incur lifelong debt. So you may wonder how is it possible and why should someone put themselves in such a taxing position. Don’t worry, in this article I’ll show you the benefits of why you should study and work at the same time. Also I will discuss how you can do both without losing yourself in the process.

Here are some of the benefits of studying while working full-time.

Minimize Debt or Avoid it Altogether

This is one of the key reasons why anyone should study and work at the same time. Student loan debt is at an all-time high, and it can be extremely stressful playing catch up for the rest of your life with high-interest rates. If you want to have peace of mind for the rest of your life, this can be your motivation. Sure it is not ideal for working 30+ hours every week and managing coursework simultaneously, but you have to look at the big picture. You may not be able to pay all of your study expenses from your salary alone, but even if you do take out a loan, it would be substantially lower than if you didn’t work at all.

Free to Choose Your Profession Post Graduation

Many students rack up massive debt when they are in college and are forced to choose whatever job comes their way. This is not something you want, as being stuck in a job that you don’t like is a recipe for stress and depression in the long run. If you have little or no debt, you will have more freedom to choose your profession. Keeping your full-time job can pay off in this way. Having to always worry about how you will pay back the debt will cause you a lot of trouble down the road. Why not avoid it if you can by putting in a little more work.

Develop Discipline and a Professional Mindset

Full-time students who don’t work will have the opportunity to take breaks and days off. They won’t develop the discipline needed to juggle both work and study at the same time. This may not seem like much of a reason, but you will not have to adjust to a professional lifestyle once you graduate. You will feel a sense of relief while already being employed. Others would have to adjust to that lifestyle right after they graduate, which can be challenging. Think of it as delayed gratification. One day you will wake up and realize it has ended and all your hard work has paid off. You will already have a job and all the freedom in the world to move to another profession should you want to do so.

Practical Experience will Aid Your Learning

If you work in a field related to your program, you will have the opportunity to apply your lessons to real-life scenarios. What you learn in class can help you in your professional life and vice versa. This will set you apart from many of your peers and will help your grades too. You will have insight that those who don’t work will lack, and this can give you an edge. Many students apply for internships to build their practical skills, and most of the time, they are not even paid for it. On the other hand, you can enjoy a steady salary and the practical benefits of it.

How Can I Make It Work?

You know all the benefits of working and studying simultaneously, but it wouldn’t be much help if I didn’t tell you how you can manage both. This is not an easy undertaking for anyone, but you can tackle it with the right mindset and tools.

Get Organized

First things first, nobody has achieved anything worthwhile without a stable regimen. If you are going to pull off work and college, you need to plan your weeks. Get a calendar and write down your schedule on a day to day basis. You need to know how many hours you can set aside for study. Most people think that they don’t have free time, but you’d be surprised when you carefully carve out a plan for yourself.

Opt for Evening Classes

Unless you are taking an online program, working a 9 to 5 job and attending college simultaneously is impossible. If you can work out an arrangement with your boss and leave early on days when you have classes, then that’s great. However, I doubt that many employers would grant you that flexibility. A great way to avoid work-school conflict is to apply for evening programs. More and more schools have started to offer such programs for students who work full-time. This will keep your work and school separate, and you won’t have to sacrifice work-time to attend your classes.

Utilize Your Commute Time

Most people have 20 mins or more of a commute to get to work. Depending on how far you live from your office, you may be able to get a substantial amount of work done on the way. However, this can work best if you take public transport to get to your work. If you drive yourself, then some of the things I will suggest are not going to work.

• Download ebook versions of your textbooks and read them on your smartphone. You can also use your book, but a smartphone is far more convenient.
• Record your lectures on your smartphone and listen to them while you are on your way to work.
• Write down study material on flashcards and review them.
• Use your laptop or tablet to make presentations and write papers to save time.

If you are driving yourself, then instead of an ebook, you can get yourself audio versions of your coursebook. However, audio textbooks are not as common as ebooks, so your mileage may vary.

Get Better At Multitasking

Often, we do activities that do not require too much of our “brain.” These can include cooking, cleaning, showering, bathroom breaks, yard-work, grocery shopping, etc. Each of these activities can be utilized to your advantage if you know how to squeeze in some school work. For example, when you are cooking or doing anything that doesn’t require too much thinking, you can listen to audiobooks or audio lectures.

When you go grocery shopping, you already know where everything is, and you can trust your “auto-pilot” to do it for you. Instances like these are ideal if you practice multitasking and the best way to learn how to multitask is to dive into it headfirst. Don’t worry about the right and wrong way; just do it and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Moreover, the examples I have quoted are general. You know your schedule better than anyone, and hence you should know when you can multitask.

Online School is a Great Alternative

If you think full-time work and full-time school is too much for you, then that’s completely fine. There is no shame in being honest and realistic with yourself. Thanks to the modern era of the internet, anyone can potentially get an education online. Online courses don’t have to be a last resort either. Many prestigious schools offer online programs, and they are not any less meaningful than their in-person counterparts.

An online program will give you so much flexibility and freedom that you wouldn’t have to worry about any conflict with your work. You can even schedule classes for the weekends. I would suggest seriously considering online school if you are working full-time. You will be surprised convenient and easy it is. Moreover, online courses typically have more lenient admissions requirements as well. For example, you may not have to take GRE or have a very high CGPA.