Full time working and part time studying Mechanical Eng Btech?

[kabous07]

Hi Everyone.

I studied full time for my ND and was not that bad. Allot of work tho and hours in full time. Currently i am doing my experiential learning(practical), which is compulsory for finishing ND. I am almost finish with my practical, BUT i do not want to stop working, because it is such a luxury to have money coming in. I have even considered not to study further as i am so happy with my job. BUT i told myself i have to get a degree in order to get a good salary.

My concern is, will there be enough time to study part time at UNISA and still work. I am scared that i will not have enough time. I will cut on my sports, but i wont stop it. I arrive at home about 17h and do not work weekends.
Has anybody studied like this, finished and said that was not that hard after all. Or that was not that time consuming(meaning the time used was reasonable). I am not lazy to study, just concerned about the time.

Please let me know what you think.

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

What direction are you working in? As the Eng degrees require some form of practical work experience as well.

 

[marco79]

If you study through UNISA then don't take on too many subjects. Start off taking 2 or 3 subjecirts in your first year. The coursework isn't as difficult as the projects. You can always take the remainder of the subjects the following year or scatter your subjects over 3 years.

By the time you get your BTech you will have 3 years experience and would have gained your employers confidence to allow you to work on / manage bigger projects or take on more responsibility.

On the other hand it will always be better to get your studies out of the way asap. But as you said, you are getting used to the income.

 

[Unhappy1]

Yup , i did it that way. I took enough modules to complete the degree over two years instead of the usual one year.

 

[Unhappy1]

If you study through UNISA then don't take on too many subjects. Start off taking 2 or 3 subjecirts in your first year. The coursework isn't as difficult as the projects. You can always take the remainder of the subjects the following year or scatter your subjects over 3 years.

By the time you get your BTech you will have 3 years experience and would have gained your employers confidence to allow you to work on / manage bigger projects or take on more responsibility.

On the other hand it will always be better to get your studies out of the way asap. But as you said, you are getting used to the income.

Im pretty sure you have to complete a minimum of 4 modules per year, so two and a half years is the longest you could take to finish.

 

[Radioboy]

I am a Unisa Student myself.

I work full time and as I am in the medical field, I am on call every second weekend and about 14 weekdays after-hours per month. I take the maximum (5 at the moment) modules per semester.

Its not easy, but it can be done. By taking fewer modules , you can shape your studies around everything else happening in your life.

 

[Sly21C]

To the OP, it definitely is possible to work full time and study part-time. It all boils down to discipline and time management. You are working now and are enjoying your income, which might be in the form of your colleagues or friends inviting you to numerous parties or other outings. Basically your life might start to get a little too busy socially and professionally. You might work overtime sometimes to meet a dead line. Make your you allocate enough hours everyday to study and not allow life to get in the way between you and books.

 

[Sly21C]

I am a Unisa Student myself.

I work full time and as I am in the medical field, I am on call every second weekend and about 14 weekdays after-hours per month. I take the maximum (5 at the moment) modules per semester.

Its not easy, but it can be done. By taking fewer modules , you can shape your studies around everything else happening in your life.

I wonder how many hours do you allocate for studying, on average, per week or per day? You definitely seem like you have discipline and excellent time management.

 

[Cius]

My brother in law worked full time while doing his Mech Eng BTech and is currently writing his government ticket. Its possible but not easy. At first he tried to take 5 subjects a semester and it was too much especially with a family. He would end up failing 4 of the 5. Later he got smart and cut down the load to 2-3 subjects and then generally he would pass all of them with less stress and better marks. I'd recommend the slow but steady approach. I did an eng masters part time and Wits wanted me to do 3 courses a semester but I just signed up for two instead. It took me 3 years instead of 2 but I am convinced it was the correct decision as I could maintain work life study balance and got higher marks too due to more time to spend on each subject.

Anyways, good luck, and go for it. In this country engineers are rare enough that the salary jump for the qualified is huge.

 

[Radioboy]

I wonder how many hours do you allocate for studying, on average, per week or per day? You definitely seem like you have discipline and excellent time management.

I spend about two hours everyday doing assignments etc. Living in a small town where nothing really happens means i don't have too many distractions apart from my SO, the two cats and the bottle of Four Cousins in the fridge.

I must admit that i am quite disciplined. My mom is a redhead and she m**red it into me when i was younger.

Working full time & doing doing call after hours does make it harder - but I tell myself everyday that I have to study further or I will do call for the rest of my life. That is enough motivation.

To the OP: Grab this opportunity - doesn't matter what happens - NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE YOUR EDUCATION AWAY FROM YOU. You wont be sorry.

 

[Brawler]

I am a Unisa Student myself.

I work full time and as I am in the medical field, I am on call every second weekend and about 14 weekdays after-hours per month. I take the maximum (5 at the moment) modules per semester.

Its not easy, but it can be done. By taking fewer modules , you can shape your studies around everything else happening in your life.

Jeez. I really struggle doing 3.