February 23, 2009

Many college students are familiar with this lifestyle-working while going to school. It’s not for everyone, but if you can handle it, the rewards are great. You can enjoy the experience and financial perks that working brings, while still improving your life with a quality education. Here we’ll take a look at some of the things you can do to make juggling work and online college just a bit easier.

Stay organized. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for working students is keeping everything together. Separate work and school papers, and keep each organized in its place. Create a calendar that marks deadlines, important dates, and assignments for both work and school so that you’ll always know what’s coming up and can head off any conflicts before they become a problem. It’s also wise to keep your personal events on the same calendar, which will help keep your life as a whole on track and on time.

Prioritize. There may come a time when you just can’t get it all done. It’s frustrating, but it happens to the best of us. Think carefully about what’s most important, and work on those tasks first. Always know what you absolutely can and cannot do without, and plan accordingly.

Make your schedule accessible. Be sure that your family, spouse, friends, and employers know when you are and are not available. By keeping your schedule accessible via a public calendar, you can make everyone’s life easier. Send important dates and events to relevant people so they will know where you will be, and where you expect them to be as well.

Have a realistic social life. Friends, family, and coworkers who only have to deal with work or school, but not both, may not realize how difficult things are for you. While they may have time to go out every night, that luxury isn’t often available to you. Talk to them and explain that you’d like to go out with them, but that there are specific times when you’re available. Still, you should make it a priority to have quality social time, especially when you need to blow off steam.

These are just a few of the ways you can get a handle on working and going to school at the same time. Learn how to deal with organization, scheduling, stress, and expectations from those around you, and you will have a much easier time getting it all done.