Deciding to improve your career by getting a degree is a difficult decision for a lot of full-time workers. While you can find educational opportunities that happen online – giving you the time to take up your studies whenever and wherever it suits you – don’t let this distract you from one fundamental truth. Your days have only 24 hours. If you discard around 12 hours for work, commuting and overtime, 6 hours sleep at night, 1 hour to get ready in the morning, and 3 hours with your family, this leaves you only with 2 hours per day to study. Aside from the scheduling challenge, you need to know how to best tackle the various costs of late-night studies.

Juggling with work and studies

Why should you do it?

It’s fair to say that if you are not motivated, you won’t be able to make it work. Managing studies on top of family and work time demands a lot of dedication. In other words, before joining a course, you need to make sure you’re happy with your decision. The advantages of going back to education as an adult are powerful. With a new degree on your CV, you can access new professional positions and even increase your earnings significantly. But naturally, the financial bonus doesn’t replace the sense of personal achievement you get from your studies.

Studying doesn’t come for free

Unfortunately, not all employers are happy to support your studies. In fact, while you can find employers who offer to cover your education costs under the premise that you stay with the company until they’ve recovered their investment, very few offer to help. More often than not, you’ll have to take a student loan, which can be tricky if you haven’t fully paid previous loans. If this is the case, you might want to look for loans for people with bad credit to help you with your studies. Some universities and educational institutions also offer grants and discounted fees.

What to do when student loans aren’t an option?

Limit the mental cost

Let’s be honest, with a couple of hours per day to dedicate to your studies; you need to make a strict schedule to manage your time. Indeed, effective time management can be useful in reducing both mental exhaustion and stress. You need to understand that your mind is working twice as much as usual. So make sure to add unwinding time in your schedule to avoid a burnout situation. Also sticking to a healthy diet can keep your brain cells healthy and focused.

Schedule some downtime with friends and family

You need to schedule downtime to relax. But more importantly, you have to be attentive to your social skills. While studying to advance your career is a fantastic decision, it shouldn’t isolate you from your family and friends. You need to touch base with your social circle regularly, for your own sanity! Additionally, keeping those you love in the loop means that you have a supportive audience to help you through the hard times. As human beings are social beings, it’s easy to understand how solitary confinement can affect your mood and also your performance.

The costs of studying as a full-time worker are multiple. From financial to mental impacts, late-night studies can dramatically affect your well-being if you’re not careful.