How to juggle university and part-time work
A student’s whole life will completely flip when university begins. Instantly, you aren’t always at classes Monday to Friday. You don’t hand in assignments to people. You don’t get monitored closely. There is more time to work and save money, to eye that goal of a house, a car, a holiday. So, how do you manage to work and save while studying hard? Good question. Here’s some tips.
Let work know your uni schedule
Most places that employ students understand the temporary nature of uni schedules. They change every semester and may render you unable to work on certain days of the week. Therefore, it’s best to tell your employer that you are a uni student and that you may have to change your roster around sometimes. When your timetable is released, let your boss know straight away. There’s no benefit in waiting until you get rostered on at the same time as a class to tell them. They won’t fire you if you can’t work two or three shifts that you used to work, as long as you can work others and you are transparent with them.
If possible, try and get a job near uni
This is easier if your campus is in the city, but if not, it’s still possible. An easy way to work plenty of shifts and still attend your classes is find a job either on campus or right near it. This means you can work the same day you have classes. You can go in early to work a few hours before or you can stay on and work after into the night. You’ll have your uni work on you if you get a chance to do some study on your break. You’ll have your uniform on you ready to change quickly if you are required to start slightly early. If you want to rake in the cash quick, working somewhere near uni allows you to work heaps of shifts.
Don’t always sleep in
Sleeping in until 10 every morning feels great but really, you lose plenty of time. Even waking up at 9, or 8.30, gives you an extra hour or so to begin some work on an assignment or prepare food for your break. If you are going to sleep at an hour that isn’t too late, then this slight shift in your sleep schedule won’t ruin you. If anything, you will be more productive and can get plenty of work done before heading off to wherever you need to go.
You don’t always have to attend lectures!
This may sound bad, but you’ll soon realise most lectures are recorded. This means you can watch it later that night. If you get called in to work by your boss during your usual lecture time, then maybe consider what you would rather – it’s not a must-attend and you can easily catch up that night. Sometimes it’s even easier to take notes when you can pause the lecture or re-wind to catch exactly what the lecturer said. You don’t have to do it every time, but an odd week missing lectures won’t ruin your studies or lead to you failing. Just don’t let it spread into classes and workshops that you need to attend!
Find that balance
It’s understandable that you want to make heaps of money quickly to get a car or go to Europe, but sometimes you have to stop and ask if it’s worth it. Think about the amount of money you pay just to attend a semester of uni. If you find yourself feeling exhausted and unable to see friends, then work a little less. Drop one shift a week, just to have some time to yourself or out seeing friends. Mental health is important. If you want your lifestyle of part-time employment and uni studies to be sustainable and successful, then work out your balance and enjoy it. It’s a pretty fun time. Make friends, have some laughs and do everything right to get that qualification and some money with it.
