Wondering how many hours should a college student work? This depends on several factors. For one, are you an international or domestic student? And are you enrolled in a difficult course?
Discussed below is the ultimate guide to deciding how many hours you should work, as well as what you can do to help manage work and studies better.
How Many Hours Should a College Student Work?
A full-time domestic student could work up to 40 hours a week if they wanted to. If you’re a foreign student, however, there is a stipulation to this. Most governments only let international students work for around 20 hours a week.
Instead of studying full-time, you may be interested in becoming a part-time student. You would have your classes at night or during the weekends, so you could work the weekdays, from 9-5.
Is studying part time and working full time a good idea? Well, you could be working more than 40 hours a week. If you’re joining a very demanding degree, you might feel overwhelmed. Of course, there are tips to help you stay on top of your workload. However, you’d still feel stressed out at times.
Ideally, you would work part-time while in your degree, clocking in at less than 20 hours of work a week.
How Do You Manage Work Full-Time While Being a College Student?
Working full-time while being a college student might seem impossible, but it’s not. There are many ways to do it. They include:
Create a Schedule
There is no way you’ll be able to balance working full-time and studying if you’re not organized. The best tip would be to create a weekly schedule.
It can be hard to stick to a schedule, but practice makes perfect. If you regularly stick to it, following it would become a habit.
Also, there is software that you could use to plan your week. They can help you stay on top of everything. However, you might prefer getting a journal. The tactile feel of a diary could be very motivating.
Cut Out Distractions
Now that you have a schedule to stay on top of things, you should help yourself follow it by cutting out any distractions. This means deactivating social media and getting rid of any consoles you may have.
Hopefully, you have a roommate. He would help you stay on top of your schedule, as he could tell you off when you’re slacking off.
Get Enough Rest
Here’s the truth, there is no way you could balance working with your studies if you don’t get enough rest. You would feel burnt out fast. Make sure you allocate enough time to relaxing and getting proper sleep.
Do you want to know what would help you get free time? Not letting assignments pile up and studying for tests well before they come up.
Take Time
To balance working full time while studying, you’ll have to be smart. If you have an important exam or assignment due, you could allocate more time to them by taking time off work. If you can’t take leave, you could have a coworker cover for you.
Be Smart
Sometimes, the job you have may not make it possible to also be a student. It may be demanding, requiring you to work overtime. Look around. There probably are jobs that you could apply for that will make studying easier.
How Do You Get a Job While in College?
It shouldn’t be hard to find a job. The best tip would be to look around campus. There’ll likely be job postings on your university’s bulletin board. Moreover, your student counselor would be able to inform you of any openings if they’re available.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not a domestic student, there would be stipulations on how many hours you’d be able to work. Most likely, it would only be 20 hours a week. If you’re a domestic student, however, you can work for however much as you like. Ideally, you would get a part time job while studying. This would help you focus on your studies the best.
If you’re adamant about working 9-5 while studying on the weekends, these tips would help:
- Stick to a schedule
- Cut out distractions
- Stay on top of assignments
