Take Care Of Yourself
Zona-Mendola worked as a full-time paralegal while working toward her Bachelors degree and Paralegal degree simultaneously, and she had a hard time prioritizing self-care when she was in the thick of it all. I went many nights without sleeping and lived on energy drinks. I would also forget to eat, she recalls. Dont be like me. I wore myself down and got sick often.
Something as simple as getting a good nights sleep can make all the difference amidst your flurry of day-to-day responsibilities. Even though you have a million and one things to do, you need sleep, Raimondi urges. When your body sleeps, it repairs itself and gets you ready for the next day. Lack of sleep makes it harder to focus and be productive. She also recommends scheduling even just an hour a day to destress by reading a book or watching an episode of one of your favorite Netflix shows.
You may think its a waste of time, but having a break every now and then will actually make you more efficient in your daily tasks, explains Alayna Pehrson, content management specialist for Best Company. You will have a healthier lifestyle and mindset as you work and go to school. Without this time, you risk getting burnt out and overly exhausted.
Pros And Cons Of Dropping Out Of College
Should you stick it out, or should you drop out? College is not the best option for every student, but the decision to leave should not be taken lightly. Everyone’s situation is different, and it’s important to weigh all the factors. Here are some of the major pros and cons of dropping out of college:
Create A Designated Study Workspace
One way you can ensure you remain productive throughout your schooling is to create a space in your home that can help foster optimum learning.
Learning spaces should be clean and organized, ideally decorated with warm paint colors and comfortable seating areas, explains Elizabeth Malson, president of Amslee Institute. A desk and chair is a must for healthy body positioning for writing and working on a computer.
Malson also suggests that incorporating elements like a bulletin board you can populate with important deadlines, inspiring photos or encouraging quotes can assist in creating a mindful environment that is tailored to your personal goals and motivators.
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Working Can Actually Improve Your School Performance
Even with the related time constraints, having a job can;help keep you more focused on whats important. As a working professional, you face business challenges and workplace issues that apply directly to the college courses youre taking. Its always easier to write a paper about a topic thats relevant to your;career. Some students take it a step further and share school projects with their boss and turn their research into a solution that solves a problem at work. What a great way to add value and position yourself for a promotion!
Whatever your skill level,;educational background or financial situation, college is a golden opportunity to improve and grow. Its a smart investment in your future, even if you have to work harder to make ends meet. Do you have what it takes to work while going to school? The facts dont lie: You really can do it, no matter what.
The Financial Benefits Of College Might Be Overstated
The claim that college graduates earn $1 million more in their lifetimes might actually be skewed by graduates from top universities.
A 2019 study by PayScale.com found that there are only six schools at which earning a college degree can get you a $1 million return on investment. Basically, the reported number that college graduates make $1 million more over the course of their professional lives is not that accurate.
Moreover, it’s important to note that while attending college, most people arent working or are only working part-time. So in addition to the financial costs and debts you’re incurring while in college, you probably won’t be able to get the salary you could be making from working a full-time job during the four to six years you’re in school.
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Prior Learning Assessment And Recognition
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition helps adults demonstrate and obtain recognition for skills and experiences acquired outside of the classroom. PLAR focuses on what adults know and can do, including skills and training gained on the job through volunteering, leisure activities and even travel.
Some provinces and territories offer PLAR to adults at the high school level. This can help you get your high school diploma.
Minimizing Harm Maximizing Benefits
Colleges and universities should also act to minimize the harm and maximize the benefits of working. The following strategies may help.
1. Increase the availability of on-campus and major-related employment.
Institutions should identify on-campus employment opportunities for students that are related to their major field and provide opportunities to build career-related knowledge and skills. Descriptive analyses suggest that academic outcomes are better for students who are employed on campus rather than off campus.
2. Ensure that high-quality academic and other supports are available to working students.
Creating an institutional environment that promotes success for working students requires a campus-wide effort. Observers have recommended that institutions support working students by offering courses in the evenings, on weekends, and online; making available future course schedules; offering access to academic advising, office hours, and other support services at night and on weekends; offering online course registration and virtual academic advising; providing child-care options; and designating space for working students to study. Institutions may also connect employment and educational experiences through career counseling and occupational placement.
3. Recognize differences in employment-related needs and experiences.
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Take Care Of Your Transcript
A long string of F’s will make it tough if you ever decide to return to school, especially if the college puts you on academic probation. If you’re unable to complete your coursework due to extenuating circumstances like illness or hardship, talk to your instructors about possibly qualifying for an incomplete. With an incomplete, you will generally be given a defined amount of time to finish the course. If you complete all requirements by the deadline, the incomplete is removed and you receive a grade as if you had never taken a break.
Of course, you can drop a course in college. Deadlines vary by school, but if you pull out within a specified time period , the course is removed from your record and you may qualify for a refund. If the drop deadline has passed, you can still unenroll, but it is considered a withdrawal, and you will get a W on your transcript. It is far better to withdraw from a class than to fail. W’s come with no grade penalty and do not affect your GPA the way F’s would.
You might also qualify for a retroactive withdrawal that lets you drop classes without getting a W and without forfeiting your tuition. Retroactive withdrawals are only granted in special cases. You’ll need written documentation that supports the specific reasons you need to withdraw.
You’ll Have More Options With A College Degree
You might be planning to enter a trade that doesn’t require a college degree and will provide you with a good salary and benefits. However, if you end up deciding that you don’t like that field after a few years and you don’t have a college degree, your employment options will be limited.
Also, if you take up a trade that requires physical labor and you suffer an injury, you might struggle to find work without a college degree.
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What Happens When You Get Off Of Workers Comp
They do whatever it takes to get you off workers compensation. Studies show the longer someone is out on workers compensation, the less likely he or she is to return to work. People get disengaged and depressed when out on extended sick leave. They adapt to the lower disability pay rate and often never return to work.
Higher Likeliness Of High Quality Benefits
As the economy improves, companies find it harder and harder to attract top talent. The reason why is that, as the economy improves, businesses need to hire more. That puts highly qualified employees in high demand. In turn, these employees are more easily able to say no to one company in favor of another.
This is especially true with a college degree, which prepares employees with a number of skills that make them more highly qualified. The more highly qualified, the more likeliness that theyll be in high demand. To lure these kinds of employees, businesses will often try to lure them incentives other than just good pay. These incentives include benefits packages that include more vacation time and better healthcare options.
One of the best parts of getting your college degree is the access it gives you to high quality benefits and perks. Employers will often offer to cover more healthcare costs or offer more vacation time to lure highly qualified employees. In other cases, they may offer better retirement investment options that will make life after retirement easier. These kinds of packages take some of the responsibility for saving for a rainy day off of the shoulders of these employees.
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Take Some Online Classes
If youre a self-starter, online classes could be a good fit for you. Some courses are offered fully online or in hybrid formats. Zaneta Wood, who completed a masters degree and half of her doctorate while maintaining full-time job, is a fan of these options.
These types of programs are often designed for working students, she explains. The schedule of class meetings, project deadlines and course polices are often tailored to the needs of students who work full time.
If youre still comparing college programs, there are a number of things to consider. Dont be afraid to ask about others experiences with online and hybrid programs.
But Be Flexible Because $&%# Happens
However, no matter how well you schedule your life, something unavoidable will come up. Your car will need new brakes , youll have an unexpected work trip, your coworker will give you the flu when you expressly asked them not to rude.
So when life throws a wrench into your best-laid plans, be flexible. Let yourself off the hook for events that are out of your control, because trust me, you dont want to waste precious energy freaking out about something you cant change.
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Method #: Improve Your Reading Speed
Perhaps the greatest challenge when studying and working full time is keeping up with all the reading. Its not uncommon to be loaded down with hundreds of pages each week, and with time at a premium its tricky to get it all done.
One specific technique is to improve your reading speed. Most people dont realize that they read quite slowly and have much room for improvement. , you can dramatically increase both your speed and comprehension.
Benefits For You And Your Family
Obviously, higher income is a primary benefit of earning your college degree. But most jobs that require a bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral or professional degree tend to also provide more benefits. This can include health care, retirement investment, travel and other perks. These types of benefits are rarely offered for high-school-level jobs.
Part of the reason employment benefits are so important is because they offer stability for your family, especially in the case of health care. They are called benefits, but in reality, they are a vital part of anyone’s salary. In some cases, the value of benefits even exceeds an employee’s take-home pay.
The benefits of a college education also extend beyond generations. Families of college graduates are generally better off economically and socially. But it is also more likely that the next generation of children will attend college. So you can look at it as an investment in the future of your family.
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It Gives You Space For Self
For many students, college is the first time in their lives they’re not living at home. During college, they learn to be self-sufficient. They learn domestic skills and budgetingeven how to motivate themselves without parental encouragement. At the same time, most college students can still go home or call home if they’re in need of some money or advice.
Many people who don’t go to college remain at home for at least a couple of years after high school. Though they often have more freedom than they did during high school, their routines and mindsets don’t change nearly as drastically as those who went to college. Anecdotally at least, even students who live at home and commute to college experience more growth than those who bypass college.
Whether you go to an in-state or out-of-state school, your college will likely expose you to a new city and environment. For instance, if you grew up in California and went to Stanford, it could still be a six-hour drive from where your family lived. You would be able to experience life in Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, which has a different vibe, culture, and climate from, say, Los Angeles. Many college students are grateful to be able to have the opportunity to live in a different environment.
Similarly, according to a study published by the American Journal of Public Health, people who get a bachelor’s degree after 25 years of age exhibit fewer depressive symptoms and have better self-rated health at midlife.
Jobs For College Dropouts
You don’t necessarily need a college education to enjoy satisfying work and a reliable income. A number of jobsâin areas such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and administrationâcan be had without a degree, though you may need to complete a short period of vocational training or get specialized certification. Here are some examples:
- Dental assistant
- Web developer
- Computer network support specialist
It’s also worth noting that some people who leave college go into business for themselves and find success through entrepreneurship.
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Dropping Out Of College Here’s What To Do And Consider
Are you thinking about dropping out of college? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of students across America leave college without finishing their studies, and many of them go on to lead happy and productive lives. After all, college is not the only route to a satisfying future. There are a lot of different paths to success.
For many students, dropping out of college can be the right move. But it’s a decision that requires careful thought. It’s important to reflect on your overall goals and how you can achieve them outside of the college environment. While plenty of rewarding jobs are available without a degree, some careers do require one. So, if you’re aiming for one of those but need to step away from college for a while, you’ll want to ensure you can continue your studies at a later time. You owe it to yourself to gather all the relevant information so that you can move forward in a direction you won’t regret.
This article can help. It examines the reasons why many students drop out of college and helps you understand the advantages and disadvantages that go along with doing so. It also outlines the steps you can take to leave college in the best way possible, without causing unnecessary problems for yourself later. It even includes tips on finding work after dropping out, as well as a list of jobs for college dropouts.
Method #: Choose Your Sacrifice
In order to successfully work and study full-time, youre going to have to make some sacrifices. Each day, consider making one sacrifice that will help you achieve your goal. Choose to give up something that will affect you and not others.
For example, instead of watching an hour of television, use that time to study. Instead of spending 40 minutes on social media, spend 40 minutes reviewing study terms. Dont give up things like family time or a workout since those are critical to a healthy work-life balance. Rather, give up the things that only affect you.
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Am I Making Time For Myself And My Basic Needs
College is the first real taste of independence for a lot of people. This means that many of the decisions that were once made for you or built into your days are now up to you. Your basic needs- getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising-often get lost or lose priority while you’re balancing work, school, and socializing. Ignoring your physical and mental health can have serious consequences, especially for those with a history of mental health problems. Instead of shifting away from basic healthy practices, try to find strategies to use your time most effectively. This could include learning to say no to new commitments and blocking time specifically for taking care of yourself.
What Can I Do When I Am Feeling Overwhelmed
Feeling overloaded can seriously damage your mind and body, making you more vulnerable to physical and mental health problems. Additionally, chronic stress keeps you from being your best self. While stress is inevitable, and not inherently bad, it’s important to find healthy ways to deal with it. Some things you can do when you’re feeling overwhelmed include:
- Going for a walk
- Deep breathing
- Coloring
- Simply taking a shower.
After stepping away to take care of yourself, you can return feeling calmer or with a different perspective.
If you feel like you are constantly overwhelmed, you may want to look out for other common symptoms of mental health disorders. This includes changes in energy, sleep, or appetite, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, difficulty concentrating, and feeling sad, empty, hopeless, worthless, or guilty. If you are experiencing these additional symptoms, you may want to take a mental health screen, talk to your doctor, or reach out to your campusâ mental health services. Getting support for your mental health will empower you to feel better and to accomplish and enjoy the things you do.
If you have thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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