Following the changing business environment and the demands at work place, the need for cash when one is at school is currently compelling people to work and at the same time they are doing/taking some courses. Balancing studies while at the same time one is in school is not an easy task; it requires one to sit down and plan his or her time so as to have sufficient time for both causes. One should be aware that the two have targets that have to be obtained for success. This paper gives an analysis of how I have managed to allocate time for working and studying; it will aim at assisting my fellow students to know the considerations that they need to make when making such a decision.
Before one decides to go back to class, he should make the decision without underestimating his capabilities; what one can do should be well interpolated so as to venture in the area that one is capable of doing. If one wants to go back to school alongside his job, then he should start by having a vision of what he want to attain after the completion. Then choose a course that will lead him to the destiny that he aims to reach. If it is the case of a student, then he should be able to know the available jobs that are in line with what he can offer in terms of experience, interests, and the time that is available. The period that the study will take should be analyzed in making the decision as well as the third parties that will be affected by the decision. If for example you have realized that you have some potential in accounting; it will be more affordable if you go and start a course in accounting (Fink, p. 32).
The fact that a person has decided to go back to school doesn’t make the day any longer; what will be important is to “create time” this means that the individual prioritizes the activities that he has to do in such a way that he can have extra time that he can then devote to either studies or part time job. There are some things that we may not be able to change and thus we will analyze the situation knowing that there are some hours that are already dictated. This is done by understanding the work or study schedule. The start point that I took was having the institute’s time table and the job time table then I analyzed the time that I was likely to be free. When terming a certain hour/time as free, I also allocated time for domestic attention. If there is something that can be done to schedule the time tables to fit ones need then it should be done. For example there are some days that I am supposed to work in an afternoon shift,-the same time that lessons are taking place, however it is possible to talk to my supervisor to allocate me morning shifts instead.
This is more felt when one is making a decision of going back to school; he should be sure that he will raise the fees required over the entire period of study. Talking to people who have prior experience in the area of study or work is important so one can understand how demanding the job/studies are. Other than finances, there is the issue of materials that are required for the course (Harris, p. 72). Before making the decision, it’s important to be sure that the material that may be required in future will be available. We always think that we can stop doing this or that so we can have extra coins or some time; however it isn’t always as easy as it is to say. After we have created the finances and time by sacrificing something, individual efforts should be made to ensure that one lives to the promise that he has made to himself. Self discipline and self leadership is required. Those parties that you think are time wasters or money wasters are important in life but can hold as one takes a different course to education or work. Managing time is all about managing oneself, before I decided to take an extra course, there are some social activities that I left, they include playing golf an supporting an England football league team -Arsenal. This requires hard work, determination and self discipline.
One may be willing to do something but may be out of reach, in terms of distance/ accessibility. With technology there is the advantage of distance learning and thus though as much as distance may not be a big issue, however it comes with its challenges. For example, when I decided to double deal studies and work, I ensured that my locality had power and network to access the internet any time I wanted to (Durand, p. 10).
Life changes in terms of technology and social factors and before one takes a long term decision, there is the need to interpolate the effect that the decision will have for the current, medium, and long term life of the decision maker for example if a bachelor who undertakes classes until 9.00 at night, that will last for five years; what will be the effect of the decision if he decides to get married only three months into the program?, the result may not be favourable for the man. The above example illustrates the need to think of the future when making the decision. When planning the time that I had, I thought of when I’m expecting to get married, this is because marriage comes with responsibilities, thus I chose a course that won’t extend past the marriage date.
Works Cited
- Fink, Philip R. “Education Savings Planning Guide, Including 529 Plans.” The Tax Adviser 36.6 (2005): 366. Academic OneFile.
- Harris, John M. “Financial planning for major initiatives a framework for success.” hfm (Healthcare Financial Management) 61.11 (2007): 72. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO.
- Durand, Dave. “Self-Discipline.” Personal Excellence 14.1 (2009): 10. Business Source Complete. EBSCO.