Work-Uni Balance: Degree Apprentices
By far one of the most common questions I get asked when talking to candidates is how to balance working full time while doing a uni degree.
In 3rd year I was working on an SQL assignment. It was quarter to midnight and it was due at 11 the next morning. ChatGPT was down and I had no idea how to populate my databases.
I had work the next morning and knew I was just going to have to call it a day and go to bed. I woke up at 6 to log on early and try my best to put something together that I could submit.
I’ve always said that people who leave assignments til the last minute are psychos… but there was just so much work to do and not enough time to do it.
As dramatic as I’m being about my experience in 3rd year, this was pretty much the only time it ever happened. Every other assignment I was able to complete with plenty of time to ask for feedback from my lecturer and improve my work.
The university day itself will be on a weekday during term time. For example instead of working on a Tuesday you’d spend that day at the university receiving lectures from your course leaders.
In 3rd year we had lectures 9am-11am, 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm. It was pretty intense, especially since our first 2 years were spent in online lectures following COVID.
In 4th year, we’re only actually in uni for 9am-11am and 11am-1pm. It’s basically a half day and I’m home by 2pm. The other side of the coin is that the assignments are level 6 modules which means they are weighted higher and count more towards are final grade.
What if I can’t complete an assignment because of health problems or grievance?
Most universities have an ‘extenuating circumstances’ procedure which means you can apply for more time to complete the work after the official deadline.
Does work and university take up your whole life?
I am living proof that this is not the case. Even in 3rd year when the workload was at it’s peak - I was still training in the gym 4x week, seeing friends, trying to start an online business etc. In my final year with a dissertation due in a few weeks: I’m training MMA, governing at my local school, and writing this very article.
Can you complete uni assignments during working hours ‘on the job’?
Your boss will be well aware that you have uni responsibilities and assignments to work on outside of everyday work.
Every time I’ve asked my boss for time to complete assignments during the working day he never turned me down. I always complete my tasks on time so if I get a spare hour in the day I make sure to use it to my advantage.
As mentioned earlier, be prepared to work in your own time on the more difficult modules. If you have exams (which I didn’t), you might also be expected to conduct your own revision outside of normal working hours.
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