Currently, many folks have forgotten the good (?!) old saying: no more learning because I’m working. To be completely honest, we just made up the phrase. You’ve never heard anyone saying that one, right? Still, its falseness doesn’t change the fact people structured their lives like that. Fortunately, things are changing for the better!
So, what’s happening? How come is working & learning easier today than it ever was before? Was there an educational revolution we didn’t notice? Well, you’re about to find out!
Balancing working and learning is fairly doable with the right kind of attitude. First things first, make sure you take good care of yourself. Get plenty of rest and learn how to say “no”. Also, you might want to try doing remote jobs that won’t take much of your time. Lastly, don’t worry about your ambition going unnoticed.
Stay tuned for more tips on working and learning at the same time. The last bit isn’t to be taken literally, of course! Although, that mightn’t be the whole truth. Expect a bit of mystery, here at Shoppanel!
Table of Contents
Different modes of working and learning (and other things)
When someone says working and learning, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it a college student working to pay for bills? Or, is it the businesswoman enhancing her professional skills with online courses? Maybe it’s a construction worker trying to do a career switch? All of these have one thing in common: a single person’s continuous will to learn and thrive!
Whatever comes to mind when those two words show up combined… Okay, it seems we’ve started rhyming. Anyway, let’s avoid the poetry and see why’s constant learning undeniably a good thing?
Okay, so why’s the constant need to learn and improve a good thing?
Let’s see why would one want to do this in the first place. Here are some of the reasons to get you going:
- Learning something new enhances the quality of life. In a way, you’ll become a better, more satisfied person.
- Don’t forget it also boosts your professional status. New job opportunities are always a good thing!
- It does wonders in reducing stress. Additionally, it gives you more confidence in everyday situations.
- Also, it can be a great source of excitement. Only folks with a bad attitude and your ordinary cynics can say learning can’t be fun.
- You give an example to the people around you! The more people follow your path, the better your surroundings become!
There are many more pluses to continuous learning. The format of this article doesn’t allow us to count them all down. Still, you get the gist of it: one should never stop learning new things!
A relaxed mind’s more open to new knowledge
Before we delve deeper into our subject matter, we’ll give you a pro tip. Grab your favorite drink and snacks, and make yourself comfortable in your chair. What you’re about to read will hopefully change your life! Okay, let’s try being more down-to-earth. Take two! What you’re about to read will help you balance working and learning without much hassle.
Working and learning – How to make it work? (three examples)
In order to make things easier on you (and ourselves) we’ll cut the main section into three pieces. In each one, we’ll use a different character to describe certain situations. As you might remember, we mentioned three situations that involve working and learning. These were the main roles for each one:
- Poor, indebted student.
- Businesswoman trying to get ahead professionally.
- Construction worker looking out for a career switch.
Yup, we’ll use these as examples of how to handle working and learning at the same time. So, buckle up!
Case study #1: The story of the poor student
Okay, so we’ll start with the poorest of the poor: the indebted student. We’re only kidding, of course. Although it doesn’t mean the student’s situation is all diamonds & pearls.
Some of you might remember those days. Especially those of you who had to work alongside going to lectures and studying. Whether it was a food joint or a cafeteria – it makes no difference. You had to traverse good distances in order to complete all the tasks in your daily schedule. Luckily, there are better options for contemporary students.
What’s so different today?
Nowadays, students don’t have to leave their dorms so they could earn some money on the side. How’s that possible? Well, there are a lot of online jobs a student can do. Also, they mostly don’t require you have any prior experience. Not to mention they don’t take much of your time.
Have in mind, these are not just the students we’re talking about. Everyone with a little free time on the side can do this. For example, retirees are the perfect social group for doing easy remote work. Most of these gigs you’ll find on Upwork or Fiverr. You’ll stumble upon everything from data-entry jobs to content writing.
How to balance working and learning as a college student?
Here we’ll give you a couple of tips on how to make the best of it:
- If you’ve got the luxury, designate a working space. Make it fun using these little tricks.
- Organization is key. Buy yourself a planner and create daily schedules.
- Start working on your college tasks ahead of time.
- Choose a good night’s sleep over a party. Even though it sounds kind of dull, to rest is the best.
- Celebrate small wins. Small triumphs boost your confidence.
- Make sure you remind yourself of long-term goals. Have them in front of you the whole time!
Okay, that should cover the topic of the poor student! If you’ve found yourself somewhere along these lines… You know what to do!
Case study #2: The story of the ambitious businesswoman
Say hi! to our second contestant! An ambitious businesswoman is a fine example of “settled” folks who want more! That’s only natural! Nowadays, with all the (free or paid) online courses many folks see the opportunity to evolve! If you fit into that ambitious group of people, this one goes out to you. Let’s see how you can balance work-life and learning:
- Find some free time to think about your further career moves. There’s no reason to rush things! Take your time to figure out what skills are you looking to develop. Also, where will that road lead you?
- See how you can implement the knowledge you’ve gained at your current job.
- Learn how to say “no”. Know what are your objectives, and where you draw the line.
- Take care of yourself. Try to lead a healthy lifestyle and avoid stress as much as possible.
Why should you never give up learning?
Even after you professionally “settle”, there’s no reason why you should stop learning. As we said earlier, learning new things will greatly boost your confidence. Also, you’ll get to share the knowledge you gain with your colleagues. That will increase your team’s professional power.
No matter what line you work in, your ambition won’t go unnoticed by your employers.
Where to hunt for new knowledge?
There are many places on the web which can provide you with some fantastic info. We recommend you to visit Libgain. Now there’s a site dedicated to everything that has something to with online learning. Make sure you check it out!
Case study #3: The story of the construction worker
Okay, we might’ve chosen an atypical hero for our next segment. Anyway, this is dedicated to all the folks trying to make a career change. It’s never too late to change your profession! Subsequently, you’ll be changing your whole life!
As we’ve covered the talk about online courses, we won’t mention them here. You already know where to find them, and what you can learn from ’em. All of the tips we’ve mentioned above should you also pay attention to. Anyway, let’s talk about something else.
Making a killer career-changing resume
When switching careers, it’s very important you come up with a high-quality resume. Here are some tips on that part:
- In your resume, present both your skills and your past experience. Focus a bit more on the skills you can transfer to your new job.
- Make it short, but sweet. Also, add a cover letter to emphasize why you’re the right person for the job.
- Present yourself as a goal-getter. Don’t worry about if it sounds corny or not.
- There’s nothing better than a well-designed resume! Make sure it both looks and “sounds” good!
Final words on the topic of working and learning
Alright, that’s about it for now. Combine all of the things we’ve advised our three characters to do. That should be your how-to manual on balancing working and learning. Hopefully, you’ve had a fun ride reading this one!