IHow to get yourself a degree while working full time
Year 13 Article
t’s no secret that studying and being able to earn a decent amount to live off is a delicate balancing act of late nights, last-minute cramming sessions, and way too much mi Goreng. Sometimes it’s practically impossible to make enough money while you’re studying, and the unfortunate ones will be left with the difficult decision to choose either one or the other: work or study.
Let’s not get too caught up in the doom and gloom though, because there are definitely options when it comes to getting yourself qualified and earning a bit of dosh. If you’re keen to balance the two and make your study fit around your lifestyle, here are some things you should look for:
ONLINE COURSES
A big part of being able to maintain a job while studying is to have flexible study hours that you can fit around your regular work. This is the beauty of online courses: most of ‘em let you study when you want to, whether that’s on the weekend, after work, or even in the middle of the night if that’s what you’re into.
Online courses are set up so all the info and resources you need are at your fingertips all the time, plus you’ll be able to get in touch with a tutor if you have any questions or need some advice.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
This is the ultimate situation if you want to work and study at the same time. On-the-job training means a large part of your course is taught by actually working, so you’re learning while you’re working and earning money. It’s essentially like getting paid to study, which is bloody ideal.
For example, if you’re keen on getting into Early Childhood Education and Care, then you’ll wanna suss out TrueLearning Australia. These guys have the best of both worlds, with on-the-job training and online study so you can do the practical elements of your course while you’re at work and finish the theoretical stuff if your own time online. Essentially, they’ve made it as easy as possible to maintain a work/study balance, without having to give up your entire social life either.
USE YOUR CREDITS
If you’re working full-time, going the whole hog and trying to study a degree from the get-go can be a lot to handle. Thing is though, you don’t always have to start while the whole hog – you can start with a Certificate or Diploma and use the credits from that to complete a degree faster.
Certificate and Diploma courses are usually shorter and better set up for online or on-the-job training, so they’re easier to complete while you’re working. Then—if it’s a nationally-recognised course—you could be able to transfer a lot of the credits you’ve earned from this to skip a big chunk of a degree course. That way, you can complete your degree faster.
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This is what Jen Maude did when she was studying for her Bachelor of Teaching. Having completed a Cert III and then a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care she used her credits to complete an online teaching degree. And she did all this while working full-time and maintaining a social life.
She’s now a Head Trainer at TrueLearning Australia, so she’s pretty damn passionate about helping others get trained up in childhood education while still being able to work and enjoy life.
If you are interested in following her path, TrueLearning Australia are super well set up to allow you to work AND study in Early Childhood Education and Care. They offer Cert III, Diploma and short courses online and a large portion of each course comes from the hours you spend at work, meaning it’s super easy to work full-time while you’re studying. You’ll also be able to access your online coursework whenever, so you can fit in the theory when you’ve got the spare time.
Plus, you’ll get a trainer who you’ll have personal, online catchups with every week and who you can call or email at any time with questions. They’ll also come and visit you at work to suss how you’re going with your on-the-job training and make sure you’re getting everything you need out of the course. It’s a pretty damn nifty way of doing things.
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