Things You Have to Know if You’re Returning to School After Many Years
There can be instances that career would call you to entertain developments. Maybe you needed to gain more knowledge to advance your career at work. Or perhaps, you’re feeling the urge to finish what you’ve started academically. These are a few of the reasons that could persuade you to pursue studying again.
However, one factor you may consider as a hindrance is your current state. You may already be working, and you’re not sure if you can manage your job while studying. But with the advantages of studying while being employed, you might think twice.
If you ever ended up deciding to go back to school after a long hiatus, there are things you need to know first. Here are some of them, so you can prepare your mind and body for a school comeback after ages.
The learning process will be different
It’s important to note that your drive may not be as strong as how it was during your younger years. You’ll remember those times when you could still pull up an all-nighter just to study. Then taking a hectic class early on the next day was your talent. Things could be dissimilar this time since you’re already in the middle of your career. Your learning process would be a little different from how it was before.
On the other hand, working can bring some great advantages to the table. If your job is related to what you want to study, you can integrate some things you learned from work into your learning. It’s really going to be up to you on how you’ll use the leverages that you acquired from your job. What matters most is how you can ease up your learning experience while being employed.
Time management is key
Work could take so much of your time, especially if you have a lot of responsibilities at your job. If you’re going to go back to school, you have to make every minute of your time worthy. You may already know the value of time since you’re working. Taking another responsibility in the form of studying would make you value time more.
Make this work by having an organized schedule. Writing down your schedule is one thing. But following it strictly is another. You have to commit to what you’ve written on that organizer. If tonight’s the night for your Doctor of Business Administration online course, then finish it. Otherwise, this might ruin whatever you’ve planned for the succeeding days. Make time management a habit so you can get things done on time in school and at work.
You can still socialize
You may have a job that’s so stressful, and it’s hard. What more if you get back to school. You’d definitely need some people to engage with to ease the stress. Many people think that once you get very busy, you will have less time to socialize. But it would depend on how you manage your time. If you can’t get out with your friends because of your new endeavor, you can schedule something on your time off.
Invite them over for dinner. You can also make friends with the people you’re studying with. If there’s anyone who knows the struggle of the studies, that would be your classmates. Form a study or support group that can also help you with your learning. There are many ways to socialize despite a busy schedule. It’s just a matter of giving time and energy to do it.
Distractions should be fewer
Back in the day, when you were still a full-time student, you had all the time to study and have fun on the side. But now, you have a job where you heavily depend on. Having fun is already limited since it doesn’t pay the bills. What more if you’re going to study while working? You’ll need to lessen distractions. But this doesn’t mean you’re going to give up the things you love doing. It’s just a matter of arranging your priorities. And if you love studying, that’ll be a bonus.
You can try to limit things that hinder you from learning. If it’s a day for studying or reviewing, focus on that. Studies even suggest that multitasking can interfere with students’ attention and memory. This is why it’s vital that you take your time learning and focus on your job if you’re working. Don’t entertain unnecessary distractions until you finished all your tasks.
Working and studying have similarities. They both allow you to nurture and gain more knowledge. If you’re able to somehow integrate work into your study and vice-versa, you’d achieve more wisdom. The most important thing here is your preparedness. Your mind and body should be ready for this pursuit. Manage your priorities and studying while you’re employed would be more tolerable.