Study part-time = study alongside your job?
Want to study while you work, or just don’t want to study full time? You like to get a timetable like in school and generally have a clear time management for studying? Coming directly from school, already having years of work experience, retraining or simply further education according to your wishes? Then welcome to a university of applied sciences! No matter why you decide to study at a FH, in my blog article I explain what you should be prepared for if you want to study part-time.
Public universities in Austria are free of charge and you can arrange your study plan as you like. Universities of Applied Sciences, on the other hand, are different: You have to pay a tuition fee per semester on many of them to be allowed to attend the sometimes very specialized fields of study. In addition, a university of applied sciences runs more like a school. In other words, you get a semester plan and an exam plan, and you teach according to that. You have attendance quotas, in which you ‘must’ show your presence and the exams are written on specified days. Because of these characteristics, many students decide to take the part-time form, since it is otherwise rather difficult to combine studies and job.
Studying part-time — What does that mean?
Part-time study at a well-known university of applied sciences in Graz means sitting in lectures on Fridays from about 2 p.m. until half past nine in the evening. On Saturday, the study day starts at 8 a.m. and usually goes until 4 p.m. in the afternoon. So perfect to work Monday till Thursday, or Friday mornings, right?
At another well-known university of applied sciences located in Graz, part-time studies can also be arranged in such a way that you have classes in the evenings, as well as on Saturday mornings. This form of part-time study also allows you to work during the week in the mornings until the afternoon.
My personal experience showed me both. The bachelor program at FH Campus02 in Marketing & Sales, as well as the master program Content Strategy at FH Joanneum, which I am currently attending, have led me to write this blog article and share my experiences with you.
Work within the week and study part time — sounds easy!
Yes and no. It always depends on what type of learner you are. If you learn easily and can already take a lot from the lectures, then you can easily accept a job with more than 30 hours per week. If, however, you have a hard time learning, you should either only work a small amount of hours or not exceed 20 hours per week.
A full-time job alongside is only recommended if you’re really a pro. So if you just soak up any information in lectures and don’t really need to sit down at home to study anymore, then a full-time job is right up your alley. Otherwise, it’s not advisable from my side.
The best thing for you would be to take up a position with the option of flexitime. This usually gives you some flexibility in terms of working hours, which you can arrange yourself. Of course, it is also an advantage if your employer supports you in your studies. Having a day off when you need it for your studies would be ideal, but unfortunately not always the norm. If you are already employed, you should definitely talk to your boss. This brings me to the next points:
Planning for part-time study is the be-all and end-all
It is a widespread prejudice that part-time students lead an easy life. They work a little during the week and study a little on the weekend or in the evening. Unfortunately, the reality is usually different.
To help you combine your studies and your job with a clear conscience, here are a few basic tips from me:
Vacations
Your vacations mean really free-time. For the part time degrees at the FH’s in Austria these are spread rather smaller than at a university and also less than in full-time studies. However, you can orientate yourself on the school vacations of the respective federal state and schedule them according to your wishes. This refers especially to the summer vacations. Unless you have an exam coming up in the fall that you need to study for, the summer vacations are definitely yours. For the smaller vacations, having time off is definitely up to your planning.
Exams
Exam periods are stressful times, especially those before the Christmas vacations. So if you’re more of a “nerd” kind of person, you should take a few vacation days during this time.
Starting a new job
Before you start a new job, make it clear to your future supervisor(s) that you are studying and that you therefore need a little more flexibility in your daily work. If you discuss this with your boss(es) in advance, it will be easier for you to ask for days off and a lower workload during stressful periods later on. You should also discuss this with your new colleagues so that there is no jealousy when it comes to vacation planning.
Current job
If you are currently employed and would like to start studying, you should also talk to your boss in advance about how your studies may limit you in your work.
Economic thinking: A tip on the side
In part-time studies, it is appreciated if you already have some professional experience and therefore know what the lecturers are actually talking about. Of course, this does not mean that you are absolutely unsuitable for part-time studies if you only want to focus on this. However, you should expect that the lecturers will assume that you have already gained experience in professional life or are at least striving to do so on the side.
The lecturers at the FHs mostly come from the economic sector themselves and are sometimes even bosses and CEOs of renowned companies. They therefore assume that the students know various technical terms or at least know what the basic concept of a company looks like. So if you want to attend a University of applied sciences directly after graduating from high school and have never worked before, it would be advisable to do a summer job or a holiday internship. It doesn’t matter whether this takes place in an office, in retail or as a promoter, it’s just a matter of getting a rough idea of the business world.
People who want to earn money after school and only later realize that studying would be the right thing to do are in good hands at the universities of applied sciences. Depending on the course of study, there are sometimes even classes with a higher average age. So if, after several years of work, you do decide to study (business), you’ll be in good hands at a university of applied sciences.
The university of applied sciences is also well suited for families — at least for those with children who are already out of their infancy. The part-time model makes it easier to divide up and plan childcare. With babies or toddlers, this is certainly also possible, but the planning is certainly more elaborate. However, the thirst for knowledge can be reconciled and satisfied during maternity leave with part-time studies. No matter what situation you find yourself in as a mommy or daddy, further education in the form of a degree is simply a matter of planning. Study and parenthood or study and career can be combined with part-time study in any case.
Study part-time = study alongside your job?
When you look at the big picture, it means just that: if you already have a job but want to acquire more knowledge for your profession, then this is the right form for you. If you’re fresh out of school and want to earn your own money but don’t want to miss out on studying, then part-time study is also just the thing. If you’re simply already used to earning a certain salary, but you still want to further your education, then the same applies here: Welcome to part-time studies!
Whether you choose to study full-time or part-time at a FH in Austria, you can hold down a job in either case with the right planning and time management. If you follow my tips a little bit, no study will stand in the way of your career and vice versa.
