How to Juggle a Master’s and a Full-time Job

By Felix Rante

Once you’ve graduated from university and secured a full-time job, it might seem unlikely that you’ll ever go back into higher education but don’t write it off just yet. There are many people, myself included, who decide to study for a master’s degree while working a full-time job.

If you’re considering doing the same, it’s worth saying that there are tremendous benefits to having a master’s degree. It could increase your chances of getting a vital promotion, double your salary or allow you to look for more specialized work within your field. However, as well as these benefits, it will also be intellectually challenging and can be a pain to juggle with your full-time job. Here are some tips to making the balancing act easier.

Keep your manager happy

Combining a full-time job with a master’s degree is always easier in workplaces which actively promote continuous learning but, even if that’s true, you need to ensure you keep your manager on-board with the idea. If you’re thought of positively and demonstrate a strong work ethic, you’re more likely to have requests for flexible working hours or time off for studying approved. Try to think of processes or systems you could implement that will make your workload easier while you study.

Work more efficiently

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, says that, in many cases, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. So, if you want to keep on top of both your studies and your work, it’s important that you stop doing things which aren’t having a significant impact on your output. Increase your productivity by leveraging your resources and managing your time better, ignoring non-essential tasks which just eat up time.

Get it down, then it get right

Working full-time means you won’t have all the time in the world to spend on university assignments, so you need to use every opportunity possible. Don’t try and delay starting your uni work until you’re in the “right frame of mind” or have a whole afternoon free to dedicate to it. If you do this, you might never get started and you’ll end up submitting a mediocre piece of work or running out of time.

Once you have finished a piece of work, don’t wait to start the next one. By starting immediately, it’s easier to pick up from where you left off. Even if you only get down some rough notes, it will make the next time you work on it easier and ensure you complete all your assignments on time and to a high quality.

Create your own study hub

Studying from home works fine for many, but you might feel more productive if you have somewhere else to study. Local libraries or coffee shops can be good places to study without the distractions of home, but if you want a base that’s truly yours you could look at renting an office space somewhere. This is likely to be expensive but it allows you to have a base where you can keep all your study books and notes so you don’t have to carry anything around. The lack of distractions should also help you avoid procrastination, while you can always step out and get a drink from a nearby coffee shop when you need it most.

Say goodbye to some of your vices

While you can get away with the occasional weekend spent partying and drinking, you’ll have to trade away some of your leisure time if you’re planning to study while you work. This also applies to other regular commitments, whether it’s sport you normally play every week or volunteer shifts at local charities. Be prepared to spend your weekends doing assignments and preparing for exams.

Felix Rante is a lead Java Software Engineer and a part-time professional MSc student at Oxford University. He likes travelling, taking awesome photos and having a nice cup of a specialty coffee.

(Lead image: Gabriel Rojas Hruska (Flickr))