Balancing Work and School- Mission Impossible?

So, you are at a point in life when you are trying to improve your future. You have an idea of the way to get there and have started making concrete steps on how to complete the goals you have. Going to school and getting an education is very important and you are working very hard to make this possible. The 9 to 5 grind in order to pay for school is well underway. The long hours put in each night finishing work only to start your class work. But don't lose hope. There is a way to balance work and school and to succeed at both.

First, make a list of the goals that are important to you. What kind of time line do you have? What are your priorities and where do you want to be in 1 year? Two years? Three? There needs to be a realistic plan that is set in order to get to the finish line, where you want to be. Each step of the way is important and no matter how long it takes, set a plan of where you want to be in what amount of time. It can be flexible, of course, as plans change, but write down your main goals and start setting them in concrete. Otherwise, time will slip away and you may look back with regret, wishing you had done things a different way and put certain things first in your life. Where do you want to be?

When you have decided what is your first priority is, make sure you stick to it! You can think about it all you want, but there must be some active steps taken in order to ensure success. Make a plan of how you will spend time each week and each day in order to make sure your priority is kept at the top.

Choose a job that is flexible with your hectic schedule and make sure that your job is something that you can live with while you are at school. It may not be your dream job, or it may be an office job that can get rather boring, but make sure it is something you are good at and that you can stick with for the time being. The main thing is that they are flexible with your school schedule but that you are also flexible and work hard and do your job the best you can while you are there. It is hard with a job and school at the same time, but if you have a mindset that they are both your jobs and you have to do well at both, then this will be very helpful in making sure you succeed at your goals.

Realize that school is your job. You have to do the work to get the pay- the grade and the credits that you work hard for by hitting those books. You may be working hard at your job to pay for school and/or other living expenses, so use this knowledge to realize that you are working hard in order to do good in school, so do not be tempted to neglect your studies.

The grade you get is like your second paycheck and is worth a lot. Not only did you spend time (and hard-earned money!) to get those credits on your transcript, but it will be worth even more in the future when you earn your degree. It will be like investing extra money now by doing double the work with your 9 to 5 job and your school work, thereby ensuring that you will build up the interest on it in the future- you will have a degree and be able to choose a good career!