Student Snippets A Window Into The Daily Life & Thoughts of SLIS Students

Juggling Work and School

Posted November 1, 2024 by Erin Wood

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Managing work and classwork is one of the most difficult parts of graduate school. Of course, the coursework is challenging but working full-time while being a full-time (or part-time!) master’s student is exhausting. There are a lot of students who juggle multiple jobs alongside school and manage to make it out alive. You can do it too!

I am currently stuck in the interview phase for jobs in libraries and archives, so I’m on the customer service grind working early mornings as a barista. If you’ve ever worked in food service or retail, you know how draining it can be. I acknowledge that working early mornings gives me more time in my day following work, but by the time I’ve worked 8 hours, I’m so exhausted that I can’t even think straight. I am sure every working graduate student can relate to the feeling, no matter the job. The good news is, there are things you can do to make this whole grad school journey a bit smoother.

For me, I found that structure was key. While I would prefer not to wake up by 6:00 every day, if I want to be productive my sleep schedule should be consistent. That means if I’m up by 6:00 for work, I should be up around 6:00 on my days off too. Of course, I am only human, and I do slip up on my schedule sometimes. Give yourself grace when this happens, because trust me, it will. You’re not a robot, and no one expects you to be one. Just do your best.

Another thing I found helpful is setting aside time every day to do something that I enjoy. For me, that looks like taking time to journal and/or read a book with a cup of ginger tea and honey. For you, that might look like going to the gym, taking an exercise class, playing a video game, or going on a walk. Whatever it is, it’s important to make time for it. You don’t have to devote a ton of your time, just enough that it settles your mind a bit. Focusing every second of your time on work and school is unhealthy and the constant stress can even lead to physical health problems. Relaxation is important!

Using a planner, whether that be physical or digital, could also be a huge help. Personally, I prefer a physical planner on the smaller size so it’s easy to carry around and pull out whenever I need it, but I know a lot of students swear by Google Calendar so that’s a great option as well. There are a ton of different kinds of planners that are designed with different people and lifestyles in mind. I’ve included a couple of links to help you figure out what planners you might like based on your lifestyle:

While I swear by a planner to keep track of all my assignments, it might not be the best solution for you, and that’s okay too!

Everyone’s graduate school journey is going to look different, and these are just the things I’ve found work best for me. You might operate in a completely different way and succeed just the same. No matter what, it is important to take care of yourself in these busy and stressful years. Taking care of your mind and body, in whatever ways work best for you, is the most important grad school advice I can give.

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