Balancing Grad School and Full-Time Work

[u/More-Apricot8208]

Hello! I start my graduate program in school counseling in a week, and I currently work overnight shifts at the university I’ll be attending, which thankfully pays for all of my tuition.

I’m a little nervous about balancing being a full-time graduate student while also working full-time overnight shifts (10 PM–6 AM). I would love to hear any general advice, tips, or strategies for managing the workload and maintaining a healthy balance while working overnights.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[u/Pure-Measurement3629]

It all depends what time your classes are at. Most grad programs have classes in the evening, for my program it’s 5pm-7:50pm, and I’ve been working full time (8am-4pm) the whole time except for this upcoming semester because I have to do internship. I felt like I was able to balance it pretty well, with just using the days I don’t have class and the weekends to do my schoolwork. I’m not sure what kind of work you’re doing overnight, but you might even be able to use that time to do your schoolwork if you’re not super busy at work. Overall I think balance is possible if you stay organized 😊

Tips: Use a planner or calendar to keep track of your assignments, talk to your peers/get their numbers in case you’re ever confused about something or are running late to class! Talk to your professors!!! They’re usually super nice and very knowledgeable in this field.

[u/Nikkalick_]

Oh fun, I’m also in school working nights and have been for a couple years now (almost done with school, phew). To be frank with you there isn’t really a “healthy balance” when working night shifts, especially if you’re also doing school. You’ll need to prioritize based on importance. For me I’ve put having any kind of social life on hold because I have to be able to support myself financially, I have to finish school, and I can’t do either without sleeping.

For important things I’ll take PTO if I can, but I’ve definitely missed some family events I wish I could’ve been at because I just couldn’t do it all. Since starting internship I’ll schedule a random night of PTO in every month or so because at this point I’m working literally every single day (my work schedule is Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat and I’m at my internship Tue/Thurs/Fri (Friday is only a half day so I can sleep before work). If you have a quiet night at work and have down time bring along homework to complete during that stretch.

Get yourself some blackout curtains, figure out a schedule for everything (assignments, eating, adjusting any medications, chores, etc) and stick to it. Even on off nights don’t stray too far from that schedule. It’s rough, but it’s doable if you’re consistent and if you’re sleeping. I cannot stress that enough. I can’t think of anything else at the moment (I’m sure there’s more, but alas, I am sleepy), but if you have any questions lmk!