University whilst working full time

[pieman]

I've done it pt over quite a few years for a grad dip in IT and an under grad degree. Pre kids it was a chore but I needed to finish it for a promotion. With kids my wife has done a masters in Tax and CPA WITH Kids...it was tough on everyone but kudos to her for her tenacity.
Boy was I sick of being a single park dad with the kids. In hindsight it was great one on one time that I may not have spent with them otherwise.

If you love the subject, that can be enough motivation

 

[xanh]

Getting a degree is a good thing to do but you also have to think carefully about the motivation.

If its purely because you like the topic, you may get frustrated with having to read and learn about areas that don't interest you.

A 3 year full time, or 6 year part time course is a major commitment. Is there a diploma course available? These are shorter, will give you a qualification and may be enough to keep your mind busy.

If its a bucket-list item to have a degree or a requirement for the career you're going into, then of course you'll have to do it.

I don't want to put you off, but as others said, its not easy. I did mine while working full time and it was tough. Not sure I could do it now with a wife and child.

Also, even if you tell your employer about it and they don't mind, it doesn't mean they'll give you time off. I was working in the same field as my study and I had to take annual leave for all my exams.

On the plus side, it does give you a real sense of achievement.

Good Luck.

 

[devank]

A 3 year full time, or 6 year part time course is a major commitment. Is there a diploma course available? These are shorter, will give you a qualification and may be enough to keep your mind busy.

Expending on that note, I would choose the subjects which are common to the degree as well as the diploma (or certificate) first. That way you don't waste any time or money if you decide to pull out with a diploma or certificate.

 

[ozmale42]

I have done it and I found that if you have a keen interest in it and you can see a light at the end of the tunnel you will get there.

I was in my early 30's when I started a 6 year Bachelor of Commerce degree by distance ed. After that I did the CPA program which took another 2 years. During that time my 2 kids were born (in fact , the first born in the year I started studying) , I was working full time (often 10 hour days) and wife was working part time. I was fortunate in that the company I worked for paid my HECS fees and gave me a week full pay each semester study leave.

Key things I found were

- You must be able to manage your time . I used the time on the train in the morning and night (I had a 90 minute return trip each day) helped. I also got up early weekend mornings and studied till Noon and had the afternoons with family and friends.

- You need the motivation to continue. Mine was getting good marks. The 3 cash prizes I got for topping my class in 5 of the 8 first and second year subjects spurred me on, especially when I had previously thought I was too dumb for tertiary education. If I had failed a couple of first year subjects I may have packed it up and quit I reckon.

- Do plenty of research and don't skimp on resources and materials

- You need support from your family and it can really bother them if you can't, for example, attend a birthday party because you have an assignment due the next week.

- Highlight pens and sticky tags become your best friend

- I tended to pig out on unhealthy snacks?.Arnotts Mint Slice biscuits, chocolate and endless cups of coffees were the order of the day and, in my case back then, cigarettes!

When I look back I wonder how I found the time, but you just do. Having said that I'd never do it again. Even though by completing the CPA program gives 5credit points towards an MBA, no way.


Good luck

 

[jrc]

After studying and working - 2.5 degrees in 6 years and recommenced this year in a Graduate Certificate, I'd make the following comments:

1. UNE great particularly business, commerce etc. Have friends who found CSU very good (they were working in health)
2. 10 years ago University of Wollongong Distance ed not nearly as good as UNE. I enrolled in UOW for another degree and withdrew.
3. So get comments and feedback from others about the distance aspect for that particular uni/institution. Bear in mind that with increased use of technology some courses require regular input on chat boards or team work.
4. Much easier if not married and no kids. I did the 2.5 degrees (36 subjects) whilst single - so apart from the last year when I did one subject a trimester I was averaging 3 subjects a semester and a couple over summer. Last trimester one subject - finding time was an issue and interruptions were a continual issue.
5. If there is a res school try and attend it. Apart from networking, it helps sort out what are the key areas to look at. I went to a bit over half the res schools that were offered and found the time involved including travel (5-9 hours each way leaving at 5 pm Friday, returning at 1 am Monday) worthwhile.
6. You need to be clear about what your motive is, because unless it's good it will be hard to stick to.
7. Mature age dist ed has advantages over uni straight after school because your work/life experiences help with a lot of understanding.
8. If employed some flexibility with your employer is useful. I used to do a lot of extra weekend and night work which gave me time to take a study day now and then.
9. Take advantage of the library. Dist ed can often borrow for longer periods or more books.
10. Put the effort into assignments, it makes exams less stressful.
11. Study has an opportunity cost - time, fees, texts etc.
12. A lot of tertiary study has theoretical underpinning, so you can understand in practice why you do something, but if you're not working in the particular area you might understand what the intention is, but not the practicality of how you do it. This can be frustrating and if you want to do something that can be more hands on, maybe a TAFE course that could be used as credit to a uni degree or just so you can get a better understanding of the nuts and bolts might be more satisfying to start with.

 

[D.T.]

Interesting insights, JRC and Ozmale, thanks

GeoffW - odd comment to make, are you referring to opportunity cost of time?

Additionally, I've found that Curtin is the only university with a Property + X double major?

 

[geoffw]

GeoffW - odd comment to make, are you referring to opportunity cost of time?

Which comment? This one perhaps?

It's interesting that some people want to go into investing so that they can step back, take a less active role and smell the roses- while others want to pursue dreams that, for some time at least, will take them in the opposite direction.

That was aimed at the early retirement that so many people want.

Some people want to relax, to spend more time with other people including families, to see the world. Others have a desire to learn or to contribute to make a difference.

I'm enjoying my full time study. I didn't enjoy fill time work and part time study. My family would certainly resent that amount of time taken away from them, as they made clear when I was working a lot of extra hours.

 

[fokas]

My secret for those three hour exams: lots of snicker bars and one energy drink for when you start to get hungry and lose your concentration. Nothing worse when your stomach is howling and you have an hour to go.

Interesting. I think we're not allowed to bring food into our exam rooms.

Someone made a point about when you've put aside time to study; STUDY. When you've allocated time to switch off; do so.
I agree... helpful tip.

 

[MarkB]

My secret for those three hour exams: lots of snicker bars and one energy drink for when you start to get hungry and lose your concentration. Nothing worse when your stomach is howling and you have an hour to go.

Don't get me wrong, I have a massive sweet tooth...

Just have to watch for the inevitable lull that follows the sugar rush (sugar makes people sleepy).

Protein is a much better source of long term energy imo.

(No I am not a dietitian).

Why Sugar Makes us Sleepy (and Protein wakes us up)

 

[rowena]

No food or drink allowed in for exams at CQU, I think the only acceptation would be diabetic, and you would probably need pre-approval/med certificate.

It is hard work but well worth it. I found studying on the train when i commuted was one way to get the trip over and done quickly, and by the end of the train trip you were halfway through your study for the week! I would not do more then 3 subjects, while working full time. I found studying 2 subjects was more then enough! Also if you can look up the course information, you can find out if the course is assignment based only, or what % is exam based. You might find it better to mix up between assignment/exam based subjects.

Id be letting your boss know, just so you can get your exam time off with minimum amount of hassle.

 

[D.T.]

Received my acceptance letter in the mail yesterday, it had instructions to do the online enrollment which ive done.
All systems go for Semester 1 2014

 

[jackbak]

Hi dtraeger, I just finished my degree last year. Took 4.5 years studying part-time whilst running a business. Studied through Open Uni Australia (OUA) and they were fantastic. It's bloody hard keeping up the motivation for 4,5,6 years so my advice is to go hard early, ie do as many subjects as you can in the first year or 2 while your motivation is high because in the later years it really starts to fade. And once you can see the finish line it becomes a lot easier.

I have to say though, if your only doing it for personal enjoyment I think you're crazy, as much as you may like the subjects it's never fun to be sitting at your desk for 8 hours on a Saturday afternoon while your mates are sitting at the pub or on holidays or doing anything other than studying. There were a few subjects I enjoyed, but reading a textbook never beats free time. Ever.

Boy am I gald I'm finished and all the best!

 

[D.T.]

Hi dtraeger, I just finished my degree last year. Took 4.5 years studying part-time whilst running a business. Studied through Open Uni Australia (OUA) and they were fantastic. It's bloody hard keeping up the motivation for 4,5,6 years so my advice is to go hard early, ie do as many subjects as you can in the first year or 2 while your motivation is high because in the later years it really starts to fade. And once you can see the finish line it becomes a lot easier.

I have to say though, if your only doing it for personal enjoyment I think you're crazy, as much as you may like the subjects it's never fun to be sitting at your desk for 8 hours on a Saturday afternoon while your mates are sitting at the pub or on holidays or doing anything other than studying. There were a few subjects I enjoyed, but reading a textbook never beats free time. Ever.

Boy am I gald I'm finished and all the best!

I would have thought it was the other way around, since the 101 units on a pretty broad range of subjects means you get a couple you're not really interested in whereas the final year semester units are the bees knees?

 

[dreamgirl]

If the motivation is there, it's not difficult. You will find the time to study no matter how busy you are.

I did my degree full time while working full time (wanted to get it over and done with). It meant going to uni 3 nights a week after work. And some weekends doing assignments and studying for exams. Social life was very limited, but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Nowadays I can't find the time to study for an online course that I signed up for. The motivation (to study) simply isn't there...

Good luck with your course

 

[eggnog]

Good on ya Dave and good luck with it.
Im gonna go against most others here and say that I am finding it quite easy to maintain full time job and full time uni with high grades and still be social. I only enroll in night time classes and bring my dinner with me. I only get 1 night off per working week but it isn't too bad as i still get that social interaction through my classmates. And i hang out with friends on weekends. Fortunately uni is quite close to work so bus ride isnt too long. Only hickup is that exam times can be sceduled during a work day and are not flexible. When this happens i just take a rec day. however i must state that i am single and dont have dependants. I am also a quick learner so only times i do revision and tutorials are a couple weeks before an exam. If content is getting too full on or trying to cram multiple subjects in a shirt period then will probably take an extra day or two rec leave.

 

[jackbak]

I would have thought it was the other way around, since the 101 units on a pretty broad range of subjects means you get a couple you're not really interested in whereas the final year semester units are the bees knees?

Possibly - depends on what your studying, I liked first year because I got to study a broad range of subjects but others will see this differently. I found I lost motivation towards the end because I'd been doing it for 3 or 4 years already and was just over it, not because I didn't like the subjects on offer.

 

[grantwhit]

I'm currently doing MPM part time and working full time (only doing one subject though). It's all online which I find a really good way to study. I can jump on Blackboard anytime anywhere on my phone and have access to the course material. My day usually consists of:
Working till 5pm
Home by 5:30pm
Family time 5:30-7:30/8pm
Study 8-9:30/10pm
That is for week days. Then I usually spend about 4 hours on a Saturday. I love studying online it saves the hassle of going to classes/exams (the course is assignment based). I think I could do two subjects but not game enough to try it, my wife thinks I spend enough time studying.

 

[natmarie73]

It will depend on a range of factors:
what you are studying, what your standards are (would you be happy to scrape through or do you want a HD), how many subjects do you want to do each semester, how intense is your job, how much of a micro-manager is your boss, how hard the degree is ie arts compared to medicine/law/engineering etc etc. If it's a degree you are really interested in and passionate about it will probably be easier to commit to while working full time.

I did a B.Commerce while working full time but could only manage 1 subject each semester especially after the first year as any grade less than a high-distinction equals a fail in my book as I have very high standards for myself. If I had been happy with a pass I could have easily done 2 or 3 subjects each semester and sailed through. I ended up selling my house and completing the final year full time and not working.

Went back to do post grad which was OK while I was on a 2x1 roster but once I went back to Mon to Fri just couldn't hack it. I like my spare time to relax, spend time with partner/friends etc and don't want to waste it doing assignments etc.

 

[Bigblu]

Congrats on getting in. It looks like a really interesting course. I wouldn't mind doing something like that myself. Hone the investment skills!