Tips for balancing work and school

Before we dive into this week’s topic, we must share: Coursera Plus is 30% off for a limited time. With this subscription, you’ll have unlimited access to thousands of courses from top universities and industry leaders like Vanderbilt University, Google, and IBM. This is a particularly good deal if you’re planning on pursuing a Professional Certificate or Specialization over the next year. Which brings us to this week’s topic, a common roadblock among professionals thinking about taking a course, pursuing a certificate, or earning a degree: How will I balance my education and my career?

“There are only so many hours in a day,” as the old adage goes, and many people cannot pause their professional lives to pursue a learning goal—regardless of the value that achievement stands to return. But the reality is that it’s incredibly common to work and go to school. A report from Georgetown University notes that about 40 percent of undergraduate and 76 percent of graduate students in the US work at least 30 hours a week.

So, what’s the trick to successfully balancing it all? Here are three tips for figuring it out (and find even more here):

1. Know your goal.

Think about your reasons for learning in the first place and set a clear career goal. Write it down and keep it visible. Knowing why you’re taking on the extra challenge of learning on top of your other tasks will be an important way to stay motivated.

2. Set a consistent schedule.

Consistency is a key to maintaining a structured schedule when balancing work and education. It’s important to understand your education requirements and how much time you’ll need to complete them so that you can set realistic expectations for yourself.

First, block out time in your schedule for your existing commitments. This enables you to visualize how much time you can budget for learning.

Next, assess the time commitment of the programs you’re considering. If it’s a certificate program, get a sense of how many hours you’ll need to spend each week to make good progress toward completion. For a degree program, review how many courses you should take each semester and how many hours each one will demand. Once you know your education requirements, look for times in your schedule you can dedicate to studying.

Ultimately, the schedule that works best is the one that works for you. Some students like learning a little bit every day, while others spend more hours over fewer days. Everyone’s different. Illinois Tech MBA student Natalia Antzoulatos spends time each weeknight on her degree, while UNT B.A.A.S. alumni Steven Schmidt takes advantage of the two hours before his daughters get home from school and weekend mornings.

For guidance on finding the right-fit program for you, revisit our issue on certificates vs. degrees.

3. Find your tradeoffs.

Finding balance will require some tradeoffs. “I’ve canceled a lot of dinner reservations,” Schmidt said. When you embark on learning—be it a short-term certificate or a longer-term degree—you’ll likely need to give up some things to make room for your education.

Making reasonable tradeoffs can help you avoid burnout and reach the finish line. For instance, if your job is particularly demanding, consider moving slower through your program by spending fewer hours to complete your certificate or enrolling in fewer courses in your degree.

In these times, it may help to consider self-paced courses, which allow you to pause your coursework or reset your deadlines as you need. With degrees on Coursera, you have the option to choose your course load each semester, and many programs will allow you to take a semester off without a financial penalty.

On the other hand, if you know things may be steadier at work during a certain season, take advantage of that—as well as days off or holidays—to accelerate your learning.

Explore flexible education options

As you think about how you’ll balance work and school, know that there are likely several educational paths you can take to achieve your goal, including flexible options designed for working professionals. For example, online learning enables you to learn from anywhere with an internet connection, meaning you won’t spend time traveling to a classroom, and asynchronous learning enables you to learn on your own schedule.

For a lower time commitment, consider a Professional Certificate. Available for a range of careers spanning engineering, IT, data, business, and marketing, each program is designed around the specific skills and tools professionals use.

For an advanced education, consider an online degree. Whether you’re interested in a bachelor’s or master’s degree, you’ll find flexible programs designed for working professionals. With some programs, you can earn credit for previously completed Professional Certificates, or gain admission after completing select online courses.

To explore balancing work with school, try starting with a free course or any single course related to your topic of interest. This is one way to test what works for you without overcommitting yourself to a specific program.

That’s all we have for this week.

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