Having a full time job and being a full time student?

Hi,

I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will say that having a 37 hour work week and studying for a degree is impossible, but I was wondering if anyone has actually been through this?

I am going into my second year at a Russel Group university but I have also been working as a barman at a local pub for about 18 hours a week which has been totally doable. 2 months into this role I was promoted to shift manager at around 25 hours per week and I still managed at university with plenty of time to catch up on work and put in some extra effort to make up for lost time. However, I have now been promoted to deputy general manager with an above average graduate salary and 35-37 hours p/w, I really want to be able to do both as I need a degree but also want the invaluable experience (and money) my job offers. I have a really flexible employer who gives me time off with a few days notice for any important university-related work and I'm managing to work in my new role and keep on top of studies during my first year.

I know time will tell, but does anyone have any experience with this in the 2nd and 3rd years??

Thanks! :smile:

Reply 1

Roger11

I'm not in the same situation, but I'm doing my A2's this year, exams are coming up this month. I work in retail in Westfield in London, I started up to 10 hours which like you said is very doable. From January as I got kept on permanently my hours increased significantly, i allowed this to happen as the money was the attraction hear. on £9 an hour working 30-35 hour week I was loving it - at 18 that's a alot more then most will. I was doing 9-3 most days in sixth form then also doing then usually 3 4:30-10:30 shifts weekdays and 2 on sat/sun. Most days I was leaving at 8am and not home till midnight at times. For about a month this was doable as I just managed to stay on top of my work in my free periods however when the coursework started to catch up, then revision for tests, having to write essays I started becoming very sleep deprived and just falling behind on everything, slacking at work too.

March ish I asked them to decrease to about 20 hours a week which is a lot easier to handle, honestly now for me 15-20 hours a week at work is just about right ven now i do get quiet tired, but I've gotten into the rhythm of it and when summer comes it'll all pay off hopefully with getting into uni and being able to pay off all my holdays.

It just depends, do you really need this money/hours? do yu have enough time to produce a high standard of work without killing yourself over sleep and such? Personally think 30+ is too much, but depends how many hours a week you spend doing your uni work

Reply 2

Helloworld_95

I'd say the issue isn't going to be the hours so much as the flexibility required when doing a degree as a result of varying workloads. Those weeks when you've only got lectures and you don't really go to lectures anyway will be fine, but on the other hand when you've got 5 deadlines approaching and you're working 9am-11pm most days it's not going to be possible to hold a part time job let alone a full time one.

Reply 3

Jackieox

How are you going to work 37 hours a week and still attend lectures and stay on top of your assignments? It seems easy now but once you hit deadline season you'll struggle =/

Reply 4

Zactopus

I had a part time job during all three years of university and I found that really hard. It wasn't that I was lacking time it was the emotional and physical energy. I'm amazed that your handling 25 hours a week as it is tbh.

Having said that because of weird life situations after my degree I went onto an apprenticeship where I worked 35 hours on a good week and had college in the evening s.
But the college work was well below my level and I wasn't challenged at all and I was only studying 6 hours a week I would never be able to manage both that job and full student life.

Does your uni offer the course part-time? You could request to move onto the part time course if you really want the job.

What course are you studying? Id carefully consider your requirements for your final year project you may need to spend a lot of time in labs or studios and they won't always be free at convenient times. I was spending late nights in the labs in my final year which might clash with your job.

Reply 5

hamzaahmad786

Perfectly possible, in fact, you will probably do better since you have less time to waste.
In my second year, I started working full time, didn't attend a single lecture for 2 modules yet scored my 2 highest grades in those modules.

But....it all depends on your work ethic and whether you will realistically commit to studying in your spare time.

Reply 6

Klix88

Original post by hamzaahmad786

It will also depend on the uni's policy on lecture attendance. Some have a set requirement and if you fall below the threshold you have be subject to academic penalties. At my undergrad uni, you could be withdrawn from your course for "Failure to Engage" i.e. non-attendance. And that was even if you were getting good results and passing everything. The view was that you are a member of an academic community and if you're a good student, you should be an active part of that community and help to improve the overall study experience.

It's good to check the details before assuming that never turning up will have no consequences. Some unis won't give a toss. Some will hit you like a ton of bricks.

Reply 7

Elsamways

I just found this thread and I'm in the same situation. I notice it was 2 years ago you posted... did you manage it?

Reply 8

Multiplecat3

Original post by username1647135

Hi,
I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will say that having a 37 hour work week and studying for a degree is impossible, but I was wondering if anyone has actually been through this?
I am going into my second year at a Russel Group university but I have also been working as a barman at a local pub for about 18 hours a week which has been totally doable. 2 months into this role I was promoted to shift manager at around 25 hours per week and I still managed at university with plenty of time to catch up on work and put in some extra effort to make up for lost time. However, I have now been promoted to deputy general manager with an above average graduate salary and 35-37 hours p/w, I really want to be able to do both as I need a degree but also want the invaluable experience (and money) my job offers. I have a really flexible employer who gives me time off with a few days notice for any important university-related work and I'm managing to work in my new role and keep on top of studies during my first year.
I know time will tell, but does anyone have any experience with this in the 2nd and 3rd years??
Thanks! :smile:

I was doing 37.5 and full time student. Not easy, hours pulled down to 30. Managing at the moment, the joy of a 13 hour shift I suppose

Reply 9

Antique1

I had a full-time job (more than 37 hours a week) whilst doing my MSc part-time. It was hell!

For first degrees, things get much more intense in year 2, then up another notch in year 3.

Give your studies the priority, so you can get a great grade and an excellent job. Which is why you started this journey, isn’t it?