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If you planning to start your part-time MBA program in 2023, here are some useful tips on how you can balance your studies while working a full-time job.
Can you work full-time while pursuing a part-time MBA program?
The answer is a resounding Yes! But it is not going to be easy. You need to develop some critical skills to ensure you can juggle your studies with additional responsibilities like family commitments, travel and hobbies. Despite these constraints, a Part-time MBA in Singapore is an ideal choice for busy professionals who don’t want to take one or two years off from work and disrupt their career trajectory.
Here’s Some Handy tips from our Alumni and Students
Thankfully, completing these programs can be done with a part-time schedule, making it easier for employees to continue working while progressing with their studies simultaneously. With that said, juggling between one’s private and work life is already difficult enough for most people, and adding academics can become too much to handle. However, this is not an impossible task, as proven by the numerous professionals who completed their part-time MBA in Singapore and are now at the next level of their careers. If you want to follow in their footsteps, here are some steps to get your business degree while keeping your career on track.
With over 15 years of successful track record, let our MBA alumni share with you some useful tips on how to make this work for you. We’ve highlighted tips below from students and alumni on how they made it work.
1. Improve your Time Management Skills
Make sure you share your school schedule as far ahead as possible. Successfully fulfilling the important responsibilities of the various aspects of your life begins with mastering your time management skills and learning how to properly create a schedule. To create the best routine for you, it is important to note your most productive hours when dividing up the time in your day.
For instance, if you are a morning person and have time to spare in the early hours before work, you could spend it on making progress on your coursework before heading to work. Alternatively, if you are a night owl, it may be better to do so in the evening after once done with work and re-energising after a short downtime. Experienced professionals recommend staying consistent, keeping things in perspective, and, most importantly, staying disciplined and focused on your goals. Getting an MBA degree while working will naturally incur balancing issues and sacrifices along the way, but these obstacles can be dealt with under the right mindset.
2. Set Expectations with Your family and Superiors
It is vital to secure your manager’s support before taking on the additional workload of a part-time MBA. Discuss your plans with them prior to beginning the program and outline the benefits it will bring to the company to make arrangements like flexible working or remote working much more of a breeze. If you are doing well in your current role, they are more than likely to help make arrangements that work for both of you.
After starting the part-time MBA program, it is important to maintain open communication with your superior/s. One way of doing so is by engaging in quarterly meetings with them to share your learnings and discuss your growth as a professional.
3. Be Ready to Make Some Sacrifices. Be Realistic with the Trade-Offs
Although the idea of breezing through a part-time MBA and getting your degree in around 10-18 months sounds appealing, it is not a realistic goal for everyone. Those with demanding jobs or many household responsibilities may be overwhelmed by the program’s full-course load. Working the entire day, going to class, and getting home to sleep right after can take a heavy toll. As such, it may be better to spread out your courses to get some more breathing room.
4. Find A Program That Fits Your Lifestyle
Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard, Vice Chancellor of University of Roehampton London
Avoid rushing to get your MBA if it is not feasible for you. In these cases, it is better to pace yourself and get more time to juggle between your competing priorities. Between school, work, and household responsibilities, getting any free time is a rare treat. Although it is important to relax and unwind during these breaks, you should also consider using some of these downtimes strategically to get ahead on your coursework. Many MBA graduates state that one of the keys that made managing work and school effective was allocating some of their downtimes to make progress on their schoolwork. Regardless of whether you spend your spare time unwinding or doing coursework, the important thing is to have a plan for any free time that comes your way. By using downtime wisely for even simple things like meal-prepping for the week, you can squeeze more productivity out of your day and deal with less stress down the line.
5. Know Your Limits and Leverage Your Abilities
Creating and employing effective networks of support are among the most important skills that a senior executive must master in order to find success in the business world. Learn to hone these skills while pursuing your MBA to make life just a little bit easier. Most senior executive have a relatively firm understanding of their academic and professional strengths and weaknesses. Thus always build support group with your fellow course mates where you can seek help in topics that you are weak in and provide guidance to others on subjects that are your strengths. By assessing your abilities and realize your limitations so you can plan an MBA path that makes the most sense for you
Conclusion
Juggling between a full-time job and a part-time MBA is certainly no walk in the park. However, with the right strategies and the will to succeed, managing the workload of this endeavor is entirely possible, and professionals can complete the program in no time. It won’t be easy balancing a job while getting your MBA, Always reflect back on the reasons why you took up an MBA in the first place cause in the end, it may very well be the best investment you can make for yourself. With a freshly minted MBA in hand, you’ll find yourself highly sought after by companies and with a new network of like minded business leaders.
Aventis MBA Students attending Roehampton University London Graduation 2022
With the availability of part-time MBA programs, getting a postgraduate degree no longer requires putting your career on hold. As a premier global graduate school, Aventis’ MBA programs from the University of Roehampton and California State University help busy professionals get on the fast track to their master’s degree and level up in their careers sooner than later. To learn more details and starting dates of our part-time MBA programs and Master’s Degree courses in Singapore, visit our website or contact us today for more details.