Work, school, AND a life? C’est impossible!

I took advantage of one of the Elluminate (a webinar-like program used by my school) information sessions listed that was going to address and discuss the topic of trying to balance a full-time job, a full-time graduate course load, and a life. This has been one of my biggest concerns since deciding to pursue my Master’s and one that I have blogged about before. Now, once again this topic is at the forefront of my mind, but I find myself a little more comfortable with the issue.

It helped to hear from a few veteran students during the session. Both were far advanced in their programs and are planning to graduate by the end of this academic year. One of them, a full-time mom (which is a huge job in and of itself) was able to take care of her family and still take on a full load of three graduate courses during a semester. The other, another girl with a full-time job, also was able to balance two courses a semester with her work. Both offered some important insight to playing this balancing game that I’m just now starting.

There were a few points they made and a few pieces of advice they gave that stayed with me. One big point for me deals with the support system a student needs while going through this program. A student needs both support from family and friends. Family and friends can help with other tasks so that the student can continue to concentrate on school. For me in this regard, the challenge will be to ask for help. I’m really bad in that I try to do everything on my own like some super hero. Another piece of advice that one of the student veterans suggested was to concentrate on what you really enjoy in your spare time. A student’s time is limited, so it wouldn’t make sense to spend any time on things you don’t really care about; prioritize so that you can include those activities that you really want to do even while you’re in school.

I took away from this session that organization, coordination, and planning ahead will be key to being successful in this program. I will not be able to rely on myself alone to complete my MLIS; I will be doing my class work and projects, but I will need the support of family, friends, and classmates to get me through. I will also need to plan some time away from work or school, something that I can do to refocus and re-center myself. With the perspective and advice of some of the students who have gone through this program as examples, I feel a little more confident in my own abilities. If they can do it, then maybe I can too. Work, school, and a life? It’s possible.