The ultimate balancing act: balancing your work life along with your study life.Whether you work full-time, part-time or casually, balancing any kind of study with employment can be mentally and physically straining.
It is a given when you undertake study to have work experience of some kind that supports what you are learning about, or even having a part-time job to pay the bills!
Currently, I study a Postgraduate Degree in Laws while working Part-Time at people2people. Yet ever since I started my studies in 2019, even on a full-time workload, I have worked a minimum of 3 days per week. I have been lucky enough to have work environments that offer the flexibility needed. For those that study, this would be my biggest tip: don’t take advantage of the flexibility that you are given by your employer. Being able to work part-time hours is a luxury when you are studying, but it does not mean you can slack off. It's important to fully separate your study brain from your work brain, and focus on the tasks of the day rather than trying to juggle both.
Keeping to one frame of mind may be hard at times, especially with study or work deadlines. The thing I find most helpful is lists. This may sound simple but making a to-do list for each week, and then breaking that up according to your working days and study days allows you to stick to a regimented schedule to prevent you from becoming burnt-out or overwhelmed. I often utilise my evenings after work to complete readings, while days that are dedicated to university / study to complete assignments and study for exams.
In the legal space, students often experience the frustration when trying to find a role that they need some sort of legal experience in order to work in a law firm. But how do you get the experience?! As a legal recruiter, this issue has become more prominent to me, as I actively deal with students and graduates on a daily basis who are struggling to enter the legal work force with nothing but a degree behind them. The best recommendation is to start in the workforce while you are studying. Being able to demonstrate that you can balance study and a part-time job shows excellent organisational and prioritising skills that are crucial to any role in a law firm. Most law firms also consider strong administrative backgrounds when sourcing for their roles. Regardless of industry, finding a part-time administrative role, ideally in a corporate environment, can be extremely beneficial and not mentally straining when trying to balance your studies also.
At the same time, it is equally important to give equal weighting to breaks and social interactions when balancing a heavy study load and professional role. I always dedicate at least one day on the weekend where i spend time with friends, or relax my mind with some Netflix and a glass of wine.
Make sure to enjoy yourself and be proud of being able to multitask a degree or course with a job. It’s not easy, but its ultimately achievable, and once you master it, you will feel great about yourself!
