Are you considering postgraduate study but aren’t sure you can nail the study, life and work balance? Hear how RMIT postgraduate alum achieved their balance with five key tips.
It’s hard to deny that finding a balance between life, study and work has become a modern-day Holy Grail. With 29% of Australians working from home in recent years1, trying to find that elusive balance that gives you time for family and personal commitments can seem overwhelming at times.
At RMIT, a busy schedule doesn’t have to mean delaying your next pay rise or career move. We spoke to members of the RMIT community to find out their tips for achieving work-life balance while gaining your postgraduate qualification.
#1: Think about why you want to study
When considering both study and work later in life, you need to ask yourself what your end goal is. And that goal is different for everyone.
It could be a career change, the next step up the ranks at work or a way to fulfil your passion. Once you’ve worked out your compelling ‘why’, you can focus on 'what’ balance looks like for you.
Master of Animation, Games and Interactivity student, Janifer Lai, studied her passion and found that exploring what she loves motivated her to find time in her schedule for study. Janifer’s balance comes easily because she prioritises for what she enjoys.
“I wanted to take my studies further, and to have the freedom to experiment, learn and explore more under a friendly environment with professional guidance,” says Janifer.
#2: Communicate with those invested
Postgraduate study is likely to benefit more than just you and if it’s going to be part of your new work-life balance it’s important to communicate what it means to others in your life.
You may find it beneficial to sit down with your family or your manager and explain to them why returning to study is important to you and the difference it will make not only for your personal goals but also for your career. Having friends, family and work colleagues in the know about your future studies means that you’ll have a support network if there’s ever difficulties managing your study and work balance.
#3: Research the benefits offered by different universities
University support services could have a huge impact on the way you’re able to achieve your work-life balance while studying. Consider the following questions when you start researching universities:
- Are you after flexible learning? If your RMIT course offers part-time study options, they will be listed on the course page under ‘Duration’.
- Where’s the campus located and how will you get there? RMIT has campuses in the heart of Melbourne City, Brunswick and Bundoora. All our campuses are accessible by public transport.
- Do you need childcare services? RMIT’s City campus has childcare services available to support parents of children up to five years old.
Have another question about RMIT? You can also contact one of our friendly team members through Study@RMIT.
#4: Plan your schedule in a way that reflects work-life balance
Being realistic with your expectations is the first step in planning a balanced study and work schedule.
Master of Marketing alum, Vinisha Pulikkaprambil, planned her study schedule around professional goals. By aligning her classes with the skills she needed for her future career, Vinisha accomplished both career and study goals giving her a manageable and fulfilling daily schedule.
“Choose units that have industry projects linked to them, because that is what will give you a chance to apply the knowledge that you're gaining while studying and build your portfolio,” says Vinisha.
While you’re thinking about your future schedule, another consideration should be making time for your personal life. This will look different from person to person. For you this might mean having Sundays off each week or setting up an allotted time each night to unwind from work or study.
#5: Take advantage of RMIT's support tools
RMIT offers tools for finding the postgrad course that’s right for your career and your circumstances. For example, our career consultations give you the chance to chat to a career adviser about what’s next for you. You’ll get information about current industry trends and tailored advice to support and guide you, no matter where you are in your career journey.
Not only does RMIT offer future student support, but current students can also take advantage of study support tools that can help you streamline your time management techniques, such as an assignment planner and peer mentoring. Master of Finance alum Matthew Brown noted that the services and locations at RMIT made his time studying that much more engaging and allowed him to strike a work-life balance.
“[RMIT] as a learning environment has spaces that distil focus and are really well resourced to make learning easier,” he says.
Ready to choose an industry-connected qualification that will make you indispensable in your industry? Discover what’s next by exploring RMIT’s postgraduate courses today.
1Finder. “Remote working statistics”. 14 April 2023, https://www.finder.com.au/remote-working-statistics. Accessed 30 October 2023.
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