I'm taking a 6 credit course at another uni and I have been working since the beginning and the amount of material just increased exponentially. I value the course way more than a part-time job so I decided it was best to leave work :(


Kinda feel like sh.it as I would have liked to do both. How to recover from this setback?

Umm... what? haha umm... see a therapist to discuss your feelings? Im lost as to what the setback is that anyone here could help you with...

What exactly is the setback?
You had a problem, you came up with a solution and carried out that solution. Problem = solved.

Maybe it's an issue of time management. What if you use a weekend and dedicate it to just catching up on school work. That'll help you stay on track with school and you may not necessarily have to quit. Maybe just take less hours in the busy weeks and make up for it in other weeks? Summer school is a lot faster, but you can totally do it, just try your best and if that means even quitting your job, then do what you think is best for you.

Hmm interesting post.

Do well in the course and own it!

I hear about these people working full time, have children, taking 2 courses at the same time, and they can manage it. I dunno if they end up barely passing or how well they do but it makes me feel that I should be able to kinda replicate that by having a job at least (I won't go and have kids just to prove my point).

Originally Posted by sryt

I hear about these people working full time, have children, taking 2 courses at the same time, and they can manage it. I dunno if they end up barely passing or how well they do but it makes me feel that I should be able to kinda replicate that by having a job at least (I won't go and have kids just to prove my point).

Then you need to look at why you couldn't do it, and then fix those things.
Maybe you're spending too much time studying in non-productive ways. Maybe you spend half your "study" time on facebook. There are tons of possible reasons. You need to figure out what they are, and then you can figure out how to fix them...because yes, every person should be capable of managing work + school, at the very least. But, some people encounter barriers that prevent them from managing this as effectively as others. That doesn't mean that the barriers are insurmountable, though.

Pretty sure my study habits are good. I don't have FB or this or that. I might have been able to manage things but I freaked out and thought I was going to get a horrible mark just because I wasn't ahead of most people in the course (which I was since the beginning). This, and that the hours of work were mostly during hours where I would usually study. I don't know. I could have stayed at work and stayed in the course just to find out if I can do it but that might come at an expense of getting a crappy mark in the course.

Maybe your problem is that you're too focused on comparing yourself to other people rather than just getting the task done?

Either you could get a decent mark in one course while working, or you couldn't. If you couldn't, you need to look at why - there HAS to be a reason, and maybe more than one. Simply saying that you felt that you were no longer ahead of other people isn't helpful, nor does it mean you would have done badly in the course. You don't need to get into your potential reasons on here; they might be more personal than you're willing to get into online, and that's fine, as long as YOU know what they are.

It might sound harsh or like I'm oversimplifying, but that's essentially what it boils down to. For me, I found a change in attitude was huge in terms of what I was able to accomplish, and this is the new attitude that I have adopted. Basically, stop complaining and comparing yourself to others, and just find ways to get done whatever you need to get done. It's always possible. That is how, this year, I managed 7 courses per term + volunteer + work, despite having undiagnosed hypothyroidism for more than half of the year. It is not something I would have been able to do 2-3 years ago, when 5-6 courses per term + volunteer + work nearly killed me (although my thyroid was doing just fine, then!).

I'm still not sure what exactly you were hoping to get out of making this thread, but that's really all the advice I can give you.

Why do you HAVE to be able to take on that much? I think people who can be good parents, do well in school, and hold down a job are amazing, and all the power to them. But personally, I have no desire to ever have that many responsibilities at once because I know it would make me miserable trying to juggle it all. There's no sense in being hard on yourself for not being able to do more just because other people manage more. There's always going to be someone who can take more on and who will do better. Just do what works for you! It's not about how many things you can do, it's about how well you do each of those things and how much value you get back from them.

Originally Posted by jaywa

Why do you HAVE to be able to take on that much? I think people who can be good parents, do well in school, and hold down a job are amazing, and all the power to them. But personally, I have no desire to ever have that many responsibilities at once because I know it would make me miserable trying to juggle it all. There's no sense in being hard on yourself for not being able to do more just because other people manage more. There's always going to be someone who can take more on and who will do better. Just do what works for you! It's not about how many things you can do, it's about how well you do each of those things and how much value you get back from them.

Many people HAVE to work while in school in order to pay for it. If you have a choice, you can choose not to, but not everyone is lucky enough to have that choice. Either way, you have the capability of managing both - it's certainly not impossible - you just need to figure out how.

I didn't really mention the family aspect of it because that is so different for different people. Too many variables, and also not many students are in that situation, compared to the thousands that work while in school. In addition, I have minimal experience raising children, so I'm not really qualified to speak on that subject

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I got 2 assignments back and I did very well (actually I'm surprised because I was still working when I did these assignments).

I do have an issue of comparing myself to others. It's absolutely true and I recognize it. Sometimes I try to go by without giving a sh.it about what this or that person is doing.

As for money, yeah I would have liked to make the money but for me...its more about making a statement to myself - as ridiculous as that might sound.