If you want to be promoted at work, you need to do some things to get noticed. You can lead a project that can earn high revenues for the company. You can highlight your accomplishments in your next evaluation. Or, you can study for a certification that’s related to a higher position in your line of work.
If it’s the latter, there are several outlets where you can study while you work full time. Online universities provide the easiest way to obtain a certificate. However, even if you get into an online university, studying while working full time is still not an easy task.
Don’t worry, though, because this article will help you find time to study and work.
Use your break time
No matter how busy you are at work, you will still be given time to eat lunch or get some coffee. Instead of using those times to stare blankly at the wall or chat with your coworkers, get out your notebook or books and study your lessons.
If you ever feel that you’re “all work and no play,” just remind yourself of your objective: to get that promotion. Say, you’ve been doing something technical the whole day, like checking the office’s servers. Then, during your break time, you will be doing something technical, too, like answering your CompTIA Network+ practice test. Just think about your end goal and persevere.
Wake up earlier than usual
It’s also wise to wake up earlier than what you’re used to. Try to jam in some of your lessons into your brain before you leave for work. Your brain is well rested in the morning, so it’s the best time to jumpstart those neurons and get some schoolwork done.
Study before you have dinner
Your brain tends to feel sluggish when you’ve just had a meal because most of your blood is going to your stomach to help your organ digest your meal. So, before you have dinner, try reading some of your books first while you’re heating your evening meal.
Study in the weekend
Your weekend is the best time to study because you’re not busy with work. Although, you may have to sacrifice some of your usual weekend getaways in order to focus on your lessons. If you’re studying while working, you will have to inform your friends about your situation and ask them not to bother you for a while during the weekends.
But in order to maintain your eagerness to study, you also need to give yourself a break now and then. So, for the first three Saturdays of the month, hunker down and study, but take the fourth Saturday off and just do something fun.
Balancing studying with working a full-time job is not an impossible task. A lot of people actually do this and it has helped them rise up the corporate ladder. If you want to get promoted and studying for a certificate is your best option, use the suggestions above to balance work and study.