Balancing university studies with a part-time development job might seem daunting, but it’s a powerful way to boost your resume, skills, and finances. At Easy LMS, we believe that learning comes from trying, and we are here to support you through these crucial steps of your Software Development journey. In this guide, we’ll explore practical strategies to manage both commitments effectively, aiming to transform the challenge into a rewarding part of your university and career experiences.
Why work alongside your studies?
In the same way, a university offers unique learning opportunities and cutting-edge theoretical insight, a part-time job can provide hands-on experience by bringing real value to clients. Here are a few reasons why so many students work alongside their studies.
Jumpstart your career
Any experience you can bring to the table will help you differentiate yourself from the rest
Entering the job market, you will find that software development is highly competitive, and any experience you can bring to the table will help you differentiate yourself from the rest. Taking this step early can give you an edge later on!
Develop connections
Working at a company introduces you to many experienced people from whom you can learn and benefit throughout your career. Don’t settle only for LinkedIn connections!
Reapply the knowledge to your studies
Applying knowledge is not a one-way street. While your studies can help nurture your learning capability and theoretical knowledge, work can also help develop your analytical and decision-making skills. These can then be applied to your studies in an endless learning cycle.
How Easy LMS can support you
Easy LMS is all about learning and learning thrives in a supportive and stress-free environment. We implement this mindset in many of our processes.
Flexible hours and hybrid work
We know that your studies are your first priority
We know that your studies are your first priority, so if you have an exam coming up or a project deadline, feel free to take time off for them. Likewise, if you have time to spare and are interested, you can work more days. We also offer the option to work from home, perfect for when you have to attend a lecture on campus or when the coffee mug you ordered online is due to arrive.
A safe and robust development process
Our development process has been set up to be clear and fail-safe. With rigorous pipelines, multiple environments, and code reviews, you can rest assured that you (probably) won’t break anything. This means you can fully engage in experimenting with new things without worrying.
Experienced developers one Slack message away
We all need help every now and then, and our fellow developers may have the insight you need. Don’t hesitate to tell them whether you are unsure about something or want to double-check. The more questions, the merrier!
Methods that you can implement to improve your experience
We have discussed what we can do to help you manage your part-time job, but what strategies can you apply to make your experience more enjoyable?
Don’t think about work outside of work
This may seem obvious, but you shouldn’t think about work after hours - unlike university. There is no homework or studying, so take the time to work on your studies or just relax.
Try grouping your working days
One of the struggles with working part-time is that you may not be up to date with certain stories. It could be that you started working on something and didn’t get to finish it, and by the time you return, it’s finished by someone else. An effective way of addressing this and seeing your stories through from start to end is to group up your working days so there are fewer context switches.
Don’t hesitate to work half-days
Take advantage of the ability to work from home and see if it would be easier to work half-days sometimes
Take advantage of the ability to work from home and see if it would be easier to work half-days sometimes. This can be especially useful if your university schedule tends to lean heavily on one half of the day. One caveat is that picking up or handing over tasks may be more difficult. However, hopefully, the following point will address that.
End the day with a hand-off summary
Working as part of a team whose members have different working days can sometimes result in confusion regarding the available stories and what everyone is working on. At the start of the day, we have team stand-ups, but at the end, you could employ a ‘hand-off summary.’ This would be a summary that includes everything you worked on that day, what there is left to do, and information on how to do it. Discuss with your team what else should be included, as this works best when the whole team is involved.
Let others know what courses you are currently taking
You may be surprised by how many topics Software Development touches on, ranging from data management to performance algorithms. Let your colleagues know what courses you are taking, and perhaps you can find something related to work on. You can study and work simultaneously, like feeding two owls with one scone!
Ask questions
Last but not least, ask all the questions you can! When you don’t know what to ask, try rephrasing what you understood; this can help others tell if you are on the right path. This can be done even when you believe you understand everything. There is always an opportunity to learn and someone to teach at Easy LMS; make the most of it!
Best of luck with your studies! We are eager to receive your application!
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