The average Indian dream: top your school, enter a top engineering college, get a great (read: well paying) job right out of college, live your dreams when you are 40 and stinking rich.
The average Indian reality: almost top your school, enter a second-tier engineering college, get the first IT job you can, move to a new city, forget dreams by the time you’re a middle class 40-year-old.
Is there no way out from the rat race? There is. Does it mean subscribing to the new “forget home life, be broke and travel” mantra? No.
Interested?
Welcome to the world of studying while working. You don’t have to compromise on a quality education (and better job prospects) just because you’re currently employed. Here are some great ways you can walk steadily on the work-study tightrope.
Embrace The Distance Learning Path
You’ve no doubt heard the haters say “well, that part-time MBA is simply not as good as a full-time deal for which you and I both don’t have time.” Well, when the time comes for a promotion and you have an additional bit of qualification, guess who gets bumped up!
Distance learning has taken off and reached astonishing heights in India, and it’s easy to see why. You can learn, earn, and better your career prospects all at the same time!
Make Multi-Tasking Your New Mantra
Yes, those clothes won’t wash themselves. Yes, bills don’t pay themselves, however fervent your prayers. And yes, you’ll have to take care of all the tasks of your adult life: getting to your job on time, spend quality time with your family, and share cooking duties with your spouse.
But you can do all this, and still make the time to study.
Learn to multi-task, and get into it whole-heartedly. Putting all those brain cells to good use, you’ll be surprised at how much great work you can accomplish simultaneously.
Schedule Your Daily Study Hours
Studying after dropping off the kids one day, before you head into your work-related conference call the next day, and right after your late night Game Of Thrones binge on the third day…
…is a recipe for disaster.
Plan out your week, and schedule a fixed time everyday to get into the old study material. This way, you’re mentally prepared, and you won’t end up missing study sessions every 3rd day. Use a schedule, and you’ll see productivity levels go through the roof!
Great Locations Make For Productive Study Hours
Find and fix the best location for your study time. This is, for obvious reasons, different for everyone. Maybe it’s your tiny den or the cosy cafeteria nearby; whichever it is, make sure it’s a conducive environment that spurs you to study as effectively as you need to.
Maybe you can head in early to work; nobody comes in earlier than they’re required to, so this might give you the privacy you need.
Part-Time Your Studies Or Your Work
Granted, this might not work for everybody.
But if you can push either studying or your career to part-time mode, you’ll put less strain on the study-work balance, and less strain on your mind. Maybe you can work out a deal with your office to work part-time for (say) the duration of your 6-month certification course in Digital Signal Processing.
Given the fact that this means you becoming more of a field expert, your boss might just A-okay the idea!
It’s different strokes for different folks, though. Make sure you prioritise according to your interest, passion, and job security situation.
With these handy ideas up your sleeve, you can perform the balancing act at full potential. You don’t have to compromise on wholesome education just because you took a job right out of college, or because your college degree isn’t good enough.
Embrace the work-study life, and you embrace quality education and a fulfilling career!
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