How can I handle a part-time job and college at the same time?

Here are some examples of how students have balanced their life to work part time, do well in college, and enjoy life.

https://www.unigo.com/in-college/college-experience/creating-a-workschool-balance-a-college-student-perspective

http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/academic-success-tools/college-life-balance.html

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/000241/

Hi Gabriela,

Obtaining a part time job is a great way to get experience while you are in school. However, time management definitely comes into play when you are juggling multiple commitments. I worked during undergrad and graduate school, but mostly worked over the weekends. This allowed me to focus on my school work during the week. Also, I was very open with my boss; letting him know which days I was definitely free and which days I could come in if needed.

I knew several people that had on campus jobs for about 10 hours a week. That might be a good option, I would check out the library and computer centers to see if they have availability.

Good Luck!

It takes strategic planning. You must look at your course load and evaluate how much time you have to dedicate to your area of studies. I was very fortunate to have jobs that related to my major of teaching and sports medicine. Working in schools and recreation centers help me cover field hours/requirements for my studies. Currently my younger sister is balancing work and school. She took the time to create a document that had her class scheduled and required field study time. She arranged a meeting with her boss and presented the document, in that meeting she offered to work the scheduled days and offered to be on call/standby on off days to show flexibility. Her boss accepted the proposal based off what she presented and proactively offered to do as an employee. This has made life much easier with attending school. I will say certain industries do not offer this kind of flexibility. I would look for jobs that focus on schools and small mom and pop business they are more flexible. As look into student work study/campus jobs, it's on campus and are not open later than 9 or 10 pm. That'll allow time for studies and work.

I worked part-time off campus all through college. It was tough but manageable because I planned everything out by creating a chart and writing out a schedule for both my classes and my part-time jobs. Since I mostly worked Monday thru Friday evenings and anytime Saturday and Sunday, that left me plenty of time to go to class and get school work done during the day. In addition, I had jobs that weren't too demanding so I was able to get some studying done while I was at work .

The point I'm trying to make is that the main thing you have to do is plan ahead and set time aside to study. It really helps to write everything out in an excel spreadsheet or calendar. After you register for classes each semester you'll know your availability to work and if something should change from one semester to the next, you'll have enough time to notify your supervisor.

Congrats on being ambitious and getting a part-time job during college! It is not an easy task, but as long as you communicate and stay organized, you can handle both. When I worked part time in college, I communicated to my boss that school was my number 1 priority. I believe that setting this expectation at the onset of the job helped immensely. Each week I would communicate my school schedule and determine whether I needed to reduce my work hours to balance my workload. I would add those hours to the next week that I did not have as much schoolwork. In conclusion, I would encourage you to communicate and be honest with the people that you work with. I would assume that most people will support you in your schoolwork efforts while working!