How to Stay Disciplined in College While Working Part-Time
Balancing a part-time job while studying can either strengthen you or overwhelm you.
I used to work 30 hours per week, including weekends, while attending classes from 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., depending on the day.
I remember being so excited to be able to get a job because I could finally get what I wanted to buy, but after a couple of weeks, I got burned out.
Reflecting on my first year, there were several aspects I could’ve done differently.
Although I got my degree while I was still working, I had another year to implement those strategies and finally manage my time.
Remember Why You’re Doing It
I believe this is the best advice someone can give you. No matter if someone says that you should do this or that.
If you don’t have in your mind why you’re balancing both, you will feel bad and eventually burn out to the point of not wanting to work or study.
Some people I knew who were also doing a part-time job needed to do so because they had to pay the monthly fee, so they could help their parents, who didn’t have that kind of money to keep up for years.
Some other students wanted to save money to buy something specific or just wanted financial independence, like me.
It doesn’t matter what your goal is, but you should be constantly reminding yourself, so you can keep it up until you accomplish your goal.
You Won’t Have a “Normal” College Experience
Most people I knew from college were always partying on the weekend, no matter the occasion, there was always something on, and they couldn’t miss it.
You won’t be the same as them. At least if you want to keep your head straight and be able to manage it.
According to Educatly, working more than 20 hours per week can lead to lower grades and higher stress levels.
That being said, if you are working more than 100 hours per month, don’t expect to be able to party every time while maintaining your grades.
At the same time, even if you are working less than 20 hours and your company decides to increase the amount of time that a person works by 1 hour per week, you can also be affected.
Based on this research, they concluded that by doing that, there is a decrease in the GPA by .162
Learn How to Manage Your Time
If you want to enjoy the college experience but still focus on your job without feeling exhausted, then you must learn how to manage your time.
I already wrote an article exclusively about this subject. I recommend that you read it for more knowledge.
- Plan Your Week Before It Starts:
This took me a couple of weeks to implement. I was never someone who plans anything. I didn’t plan dates, appointments, or training hours.
I just went with the flow. When I decided to train, I would, and when I decided to study, I also would.
But this mindset didn’t work on this subject like it used to.
It wasn’t my first job, so I already knew what I was going to do because it’s generic. But this time was different. I used to work in the summers just to get money.
But now I had to balance both work and college, not parties.
I always try to plan my week before I go to bed on Sunday. I sit by my desk and start writing my work and college schedule, including my hobbies and free time.
If I had an exam or a presentation, then I would also check so I can study in my free time. It won’t be easy to start, but after a couple of weeks, you will feel like you have a lot of time on your hands.
- Stop Procrastinating:
I loved being on my social media watching engaging videos, but it was killing my free time.
I do say killing my free time because even though being on social media is what I wanted to do, I wasn’t being productive.
Most of the time, I was on my phone for 2 hours straight while I had something to do.
I don’t want you to have no fun. But remember, your college experience is not going to be normal. You need to make sacrifices.
Why would you be on social media for 2 hours when you could be taking a walk, reading a book, watching an episode of the show you like, or even going to the gym?
You could do so much in 2 hours, but you insist on being on your phone, and it’s normal.
I felt the same. When I was on my phone, I wasn’t moving, and because of my exhaustion, I’d rather be like that.
But when I got home, I realized that I didn’t have time for anything. While it wasn’t completely true. I chose to be on my phone for 2 hours.
- Prioritize What Matters:
You won’t be able to do everything you want.
You need to determine what’s more important for you, depending on the week.
I remember having 5 exams and 9 or 10 presentations in the span of a month. I knew I needed to make college my priority.
So I stopped hanging out with friends and doing my hobbies. I wanted to, not because I didn’t want to do the fun things. But I knew what my goal was.
I already knew that if I wanted to get my degree while keeping my financial independence, choices needed to be made.
If you try to focus on everything and end up ruining your sleep schedule and eating fast food all the time, you will feel worse.
Make Time for Yourself
Being able to make time for yourself to do things you really enjoy doing is crucial for your journey.
The only way to be able to actually have that time is by taking the previous tips I wrote about.
Don’t expect just to go with the flow, as I did at first. Because you won’t be able to.
You’ll feel lost. Your part-time job during college won’t be a fantastic experience like it was for me.
You can do whatever you want during that time, as long as you don’t have any regrets in the end. It could be something like watching a show, reading, or even social media.
The key aspect isn’t about working all the time non-stop, but to build a routine you can maintain during that time.
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
– Jim Rohn
Final Thoughts
Working during college won’t be easy.
You will miss events, parties, and, depending on your schedule, even classes.
You will feel exhausted, and at some point, you may even consider quitting.
It’s a phase. If you are currently going through this and you are considering quitting, then read this article about the cost of quitting.
If you stay consistent and implement what I said earlier, you will graduate as a much stronger, independent, and prepared person than you ever were before college.
At the same time, based on the research about the relationship between work during college, it is concluded that students who work for experience and for soft and hard skills experience higher post-college earnings.
