5 Tips to Balance a Full Time Job and Online Classes

Alan CleaverIn order to get ahead in your existing career, you might need higher qualifications and credentials. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to attend a traditional campus while still working full time. Online classes are the answer to this problem. Having an additional degree or certification can help you to earn a promotion, start a job in a new field, or just earn more money each month. These five tips will help you to balance your job with your online classes. 

1. Create a Schedule

 The best way to find a balance between work and study is to create a schedule that clearly delineates when you will work and when you will study. Most jobs require you to clock in and clock out at specific times, so you should use that same approach to schoolwork. Decide what time of day you will devote to online study and keep to it regularly. The best time for you might be after dinner each night, on the weekends, or early in the morning before work.

2. Decide How to Prioritize Your Time

Think carefully about your priorities when it comes to family, work and school. Turning in an assignment late because you watched a movie isn't the same as the paper being late because work ran over.

3. Find a Specific Study Space

If you attend a traditional brick and mortar college campus, you will have access to libraries and student study centers. While taking online classes at home, however, you won't have these resources. It is therefore important for you to create a distinct study space that is reserved for online studying. It is best not to study in your office or living area, as these spaces can be distracting for students.

4. Tell Friends and Family About Your Schedule

If you have a demanding schedule and you are finding it hard to communicate that to friends, create an online calendar with your schedule and email it to them. This will help them to understand how busy you are, but it will also let them know when it might be convenient to get together.

5. Take Time for Relaxation

If you are working full time, taking online classes, and trying to juggle family and social obligations at the same time, you need to set a few hours aside each week for personal relaxation or enjoyment. Read a book, watch a movie, or just take a walk in order to disconnect from stress and avoid burnout.

Many people choose to work full time while taking online classes to get ahead in their careers. However, it can be demanding and stressful. These tips will help you to balance your life and enjoy the process.

Ruby Olson is a freelance blogger who writes about higher education. If you are trying to balance work and school, Ruby recommends checking out the top online colleges so you can get your degree from home.

Comments

[Patrick Edmonds]

These are good tips, but I would add one. Do this while you're young, with fewer responsibilities, if you can. I have a Masters in Education, which I received four years ago, while I was working. I was fresh out of college, single, with lots of energy and free time.

I'm working on a Masters in Writing, and now that I'm married, a little older, with a little less energy, I find the labors of grad school to be far more taxing than my first go around.

[James Dugan]

I think these are good and I believe the future of college will soon leave the campus and be in executive offices with two days online. We have to get used to working and going to school because this is a new reality for more and more of America's middle class.

Edmonds is right. Do not put off school even for one year. The loss of confidence and writing and reading abilities will make it more difficult. You might gain experience, but being a student is something that we forget easiliy and it is hard to get the discipline back.

My advice is that you save your weekends. Do not take classes on Sat or Fri night. You need that time. I found them hardest to be successful in and then afterward, I was too tired to think and face the coming week.

Thanks for the lunch.

[Barb@ALifeinBalance]

Having watched a good friend juggle online classes while homeschooling her son and dealing with medical issues, I would also suggest finding a program that allows you to take a bare minimum of classes. Also, be careful about how much time some classes require. A really short class may sound like a great idea until you find yourself behind because so much preparation was expected at the beginning. Finally, if the program isn't working for you, find another one that will take your credits so you don't lose much time and money.