How much work should I do while in graduate school?

Question

I'm trying to work out my schedule. I'm going to graduate school working on an MA in history. I'm taking 9 hours, this will be hard enough as it is. I got offered a job overnight for 2 days a week = 16 hrs. This is being a computer lab monitor, so it's job I would be able to study at. I already have 2 other jobs, as a tutor I get 8 hours a week,, and I do substitute teaching which brings me about 24 hours a week.

Should I take the night job for 16 hours? I would be able to study at it, but I'm worried that this will be too much for me to handle at once, and maybe I should take it easier. Can you do graduate school and work 48 hours a week?

Answer 1

I don't think that I could go to school full time and work full time too unless I were working in the area of study such as a research assistant.

Even with the ability to study at work as a lab monitor - you won't be able to study with complete concentration.

That MA in History is probably going to require a serious amount of research and writing; you're going to need the time to yourself to be able to put in a legitimate level of preparation. This isn't going to be like an undergrad paper that you can toss together in a day or two. As a history major, it may even require some field study that having multiple jobs will really interfere with.

I use the rule of thumb that work hours per week + credit hours per week should = no more than 50 and 40 is much better. But then, that's just me.

Answer 2

The key questions here involve you as an individual.

How well do you do with limited flexibility in your schedule? You're already working 32 hours a week, add 16 and that's 48 hours--more than typical full-time--plus your class time and study time. If you cannot continue to function if you go without any amusements for a long spell, don't try it.

How well do you cope with a wracked up sleep cycle? You're going to be up overnight 2 nights a week, then teaching/tutoring in the daytime and going to classes the rest of the time. When I was young I could treat sleep like it was optional, but now that I'm older I feel I was unwise to treat it quite as casually as I did. If you can't make do with sleep whenever and function fully, don't take the new job.

How sharp are you as a student? Some people are already up on much of their subjects and they absorb information like sponges and crank out assignments at light speed. Others are--well--normal... I was a rather quick student, but my grad studies still consumed hours daily. I recall that my contemporaries in the PhD program started studying for written comps about six months before taking them, while I waited until the week before and just briefly reviewed my class notes. If you're not one of the top ten percent in student efficiency, don't take on more work!

You might consider quitting the tutoring to take up the overnight job, if the overnight one really provides study time and the daytime job doesn't. Consider it carefully.

Answer 3

If you were in my department, I would sit you down and give you a good talking-to, and tell you absolutely NOT to take the night job.

I would tell you that being a graduate student IS a full-time job, and that you are already overcommitted in terms of employment. (I assume you are not a teaching or research assistant -- that in itself usually requires about 20 hours per week.)

Actually, many graduate programs require full-time students to sign contracts promising NOT to take ANY outside employment. Do yourself a favor and turn down the computer lab offer.

Answer 4

if you are not tired and if you think i am well then you can do a lot


but if not just save some time for rest