How To Study Effectively While Working Full Time

If you are thinking about studying again while you are still working full-time, you may have a few concerns and causes for hesitation. You may have doubts about whether you can juggle both work and study while still being effective at both. You may question whether you can sustain the energy to finish your course while still holding on to your job.

All of these concerns are valid. After all, working full-time can take up a lot of your time and mental bandwidth. Studying, even on a part-time basis, will inevitably lead to an extra load.

However, it is very much possible. It all boils down to knowing how to study effectively while working full-time. With a little life adjustment and enough support from the people around you, it can be pulled off.

So, if you are still undecided on whether you want to pursue that post-graduate degree or even a short course or two while working, here are some ideas on how it can be feasible for you.

Tips on how to study while working full time

1. Manage your time well

Finishing your studies while being a full-time employee requires carving out extra time every day to attend classes and accomplish school work. This is where effective time management comes in. You cannot add hours to a day or days in a week. The best that you can do is to make every hour count.

Make sure that no time is wasted. Taking on post-graduate studies is a big decision, and it is one that should come with the acknowledgement that some form of sacrifice is needed. If it means converting some of your leisure time to study time, then you should be willing to do so. You can put together a couple of hours each day just by lessening your binge-watching or gaming time. You can even use your lunchtime to do some readings or work on some school tasks.

Practising good time management during your work hours is also an effective way to carve out extra hours in a day for your studies. Your biggest obstacle as a full-time worker and part-time student is overtime work. Studying requires ample time and a clear mind, both of which will be hard to achieve when you work past your work schedule. So, make sure you work efficiently so that every hour can be optimised, both for work and study.

2. Seek support from management

Many workers pursue post-graduate studies in order to improve or add to their skills. While the goal is self-development, this kind of studying ultimately helps employers as well because it widens an employee’s capacity to contribute to the company. Therefore, if you are studying to update your knowledge or skills for your current job, then it is only proper to get the necessary support from your management.

Communicating your goals to your supervisor is essential in balancing work with study. With management’s help, you may be able to manage your time at the office better. Your supervisor can give you a slightly adjusted work schedule, one that conforms to your class schedule and gives leeway on selected days or weeks. For instance, if your thesis defence is near, your boss can allow you to spend some of your vacation leaves to help you prepare.

Additionally, you can also talk to your boss about your possible career path in conjunction with the course you are taking. Can it lead to additional responsibilities at work, and possibly, a promotion ? Will it make you more qualified for a higher position at a different department? Can the company explore the possibility of creating a new role based on your new knowledge and skills? Keeping management in the loop with your school goals is a big first step on how to study effectively while working full time.

3. Apply class lessons to your job

There might be some unavoidable overlap with your work and studies, but you can also use this to your advantage. Aside from squeezing in some study time during your work breaks, you can also apply some of your class learnings to the workplace. You can gain additional and practical insights, especially when you consult your co-workers or your bosses.

This is a huge advantage to have when you are studying a course that is related to the job you already have. Think of your office as a vast resource, a living and breathing library that can help you with your schoolwork. Finding a particular required reading difficult to grasp? Then, maybe some co-workers have some insight they can share on the topic based on their experience. Need a case study for school? Your company may have a wealth of stories waiting to be discovered.

Best of all, if you already have a few learnings that you can apply to some of your ongoing projects, then management can already get a glimpse of your bright future in the company. It will only make them feel even more invested in your studies and may motivate them to continue giving support.

4. Consider a work-from-home or hybrid setup

One effective way of optimising your time, both for work and for studying, is to have a work-from-home arrangement with your company. Those who are already working in this setup are more suited to study on the side, especially if you're taking up an online course. Working from home full-time or part-time via a hybrid work setup can save you a lot of time, which you can then devote to studying.

The hours you waste stuck in traffic going to the office or coming home after work can be spent instead on taking classes and studying. It can also help you finish work more efficiently, as long as you are comfortable working at home or at any remote location. With a more flexible work setup, you will have more time to allot to your studying.

5. Approach everything with enthusiasm

If you do decide to study while working full-time, make sure that your motivations are clear. Are you doing it to better yourself and improve your skills? Are you doing it to get a promotion at work? Are you doing it to raise your career ceiling? If these are your reasons, then you will find it easy to figure out how to study effectively while working full-time.

Taking on post-graduate studies is your way to build a better career path. Therefore, you should take on the challenge with full energy and enthusiasm, knowing that all your efforts are geared towards a better future. It will be easier to find time and motivation every day when you can picture your end goal.

So, is working while studying a good idea? If you decide “yes,” then you should be fully prepared to commit to all the challenges that will come your way, for the sake of your career and your future.

To give yourself the best chance for success, you need to make the most of the resources available to you.

Check out our Career Tools and Career Advice. Finally, #SEEKBetter jobs from the top employers in Malaysia.