An achievable feat?

Today, excelling in academics is not enough to secure dream jobs. Modern-day students are expected to juggle studies and work to gain theoretical knowledge and practical experiences in their field of work. This is understandable given how academic results do not reflect the competence of students in real-life work situations. With everyday life activities-- traffic, recreation, sleep, time with friends and family-- life seems to be in a constant state of mayhem.

As a result, students often find themselves struggling to balance academics and work and are forced to prioritise one over the other in the case when they overlap. This makes us ponder-- is it really possible to perfectly strike a balance between our studies and job?

Ticking off the to-do list: The answer is a ‘yes’. First off, learning time management is the key. This can be achieved by having an updated to-do list for the upcoming week and breaking up a task into smaller and more achievable goals. Instead of putting off work till the last minute, work and studies can be split into segments and a time schedule can be drawn for it. For example, when studying for a final, instead of studying six chapters the day before the exam, two chapters can be allocated for the three days prior to the assessment. Likewise, setting up a specified time for work can assist in being productive and provide a sense of achievement when done within that time. Limiting time on social media can also help with time allocation.

Alina Noor, an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney studying International Business who works as a part-time librarian in Taylor's college, believes making a timetable ahead of the week aids in managing work, school and daily chores efficiently. Her timetable includes taking breaks too. "I take at least one day off every week for self-care and household chores. I plan that ahead of time to make sure I have time to de-stress and no room for procrastination during days I have tight schedules," she said.

It's okay to lag behind sometimes: Just like Alina, setting time for yourself, sleeping, recreation and procrastination are important because we are only humans who require stable mental and physical health. Low productivity or burnouts are common occurrences that everyone faces, so being kind to yourself is essential. Instead of resenting yourself for the work that has not been completed, try to focus on how to allocate the work in the future schedule and follow that strictly can provide self-motivation.

Same skill, different streams: Another aspect of achieving equilibrium in work and academics is studying and doing what you enjoy. Unless there is external pressure from family, pursuing a degree that is intriguing can ignite curiosity and thus keep you invested in your academics. The same goes for work, provided that it is financially feasible. Overlapping study and work can be a great way to shine as the same skills can be applied in both streams.

Undergraduate student Mahatab Kabir Khandakar studies Economics and at the same time works as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the School of Business and Economics at North South University. He is also an executive member of Research and Advocacy in Vision Green Organisation. He said, "Overall I look at my work and study from a holistic perspective to prepare myself for my courses while simultaneously getting research work done."

Mahatab believes having a good work management app has helped him in tracking his progress, setting healthy and achievable deadlines and maintaining a sleep schedule. Hydration and food intake at proper times have assisted him in having a good mental headspace.

Getting your priority straight: Adjusting work and studies escalates for graduate students employed in full-time jobs. Zaid Bin Siddique is currently pursuing MBA at North South University while working as an assistant manager at bKash's Enterprise Risk Management department. He finishes office by 6.30 pm and rushes to his class at 7 pm. To balance out his coursework and work pressure, he takes classes on weekends.

Knowing whether academics or work holds more importance in your life at a certain point in time is important. When talking about his priority, Zaid said, "People generally do their MBA to secure a good job. Considering that I have one, I am doing it more for the degree than for my job perspective. With my job, I get paid at the end of the month, and so prioritising MBA will contradict my perspective of securing a good job although it might help me climb up the career ladder later on." However, for undergraduate students, studies seem to be more important as work often tends to be a side hustle.

Talk it out: Communication with the workplace is an essential component in achieving stability. Zaid believes having a compassionate line manager goes a long way in pursuing a degree while working as he needs to take time off for university presentations and finals. According to him, a high level of self-motivation, getting friends onboard for the degree and managing stress through breaks help him shuffle work and studies.

Getting the mix of academics, work and life right can be a daunting feat. But it's not impossible. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and thus yourself properly is important to strike a balance between work and academics. Neither should we take them too seriously nor should we just let them be? Thus, take it easy and give your best.

The writer is a third-year undergraduate student at the Institute of Business Administration.
The University of Dhaka.

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