Working & Schooling: Combining Full-Time Work with University Courses

[Handsome Rob]

Hi folks,

Just a quick question. I'm 25 and working full time. My work is such that, unless anything breaks or goes wrong, I sit around and browse internet forums to pass the time. I also have a very free hand in scheduling.

I'm interested in going back to school for Mechanical Engineering, and wondering what the plausibility would be of trying to do something like 3-4 courses in all 3 terms, fall, spring and summer, to make a full time workload; thus I could continue to work full time, and it shouldn't really interfere with studies, as I can study, at work.

I'm in Canada, I'd be at BCIT or UBC.

Have no idea what sort of workload I'd be looking at, my uni career was arts and business administration. What I'm trying to avoid, is $40,000 in student loans. I'll avoid it at any cost, I detest being in debt, so much that I would likely do something like go trades to avoid it.

Thanks for any insight.

 

[lisab]

I worked part-time and went to school part-time, basically all the way through school. It can be done, maybe not in the usual 4 years though. It's a slog but I'm like you in that I wanted to avoid debt. The trade-off, for me, was it took a lot longer to finish my degree.

Three or four classes may be doable if your work is as flexible as yours sounds. Maybe you can start with a class or two, just to get an idea of how much time the classes take, and how much time you really have to spend.

Me, I took one or two classes per term (depending on my $$ situation), and worked anywhere from 25 to 40 hours a week (usually 35). I couldn't study at my job, and my time was completely filled with this schedule.

PS I'm curious why you didn't mention winter term...?

 

[Handsome Rob]

PS I'm curious why you didn't mention winter term...?

Thanks for the reply, I'm going to give it a go. At least, I'll pilot it to see how it goes.

We only have three terms up here in Canadia.
Fall in September, Spring in January, Summer in May/June.

Least at the post-sec schools I've attended. Maybe it's because we're so relaxed eh?

 

[lisab]

Thanks for the reply, I'm going to give it a go. At least, I'll pilot it to see how it goes.

We only have three terms up here in Canadia.
Fall in September, Spring in January, Summer in May/June.

Least at the post-sec schools I've attended. Maybe it's because we're so relaxed eh?

Well, learn something new every day! And I only live a smidge south of the border (Seattle area), yet I didn't know that .

Best of luck to you!

 

[rootX]

Thanks for the reply, I'm going to give it a go. At least, I'll pilot it to see how it goes.

We only have three terms up here in Canadia.
Fall in September, Spring in January, Summer in May/June.

No, I believe it is
Fall = Sep
Winter = Jan
Spring = May

Spring doesn't come until March/April which is the almost the end of term that starts in Jan

 

[Andre]

Maybe wishful thinking to omit the winter term. Any idea what a Canadian winter looks like?

 

[rootX]

Maybe wishful thinking to omit the winter term. Any idea what a Canadian winter looks like?

I believe OP is from BC and BC doesn't have winter anyway - people don't have winter tires, it just rains all around the year

 

[Sankaku]

I believe OP is from BC and BC doesn't have winter anyway - people don't have winter tires, it just rains all around the year

You are only talking about 5% of the province. Much of BC used to get down past -45C every winter.