PASS by the campuses of any university or college at about 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm and you will see hundreds of working people exiting the gates — many of them with nine-to-five jobs who do up to four or more hours of classes each week.

It is a feat they engage in at risk of burnout at work and/or school as well as in their home life. But it is a necessary endeavour. Why? The answer is simple: economic survival. Higher education is critical to ensuring promotion and salary increases at work, while work is essential to financing the cost of education. And resigning one’s job to attend school full-time is a privilege only a few can afford.

Many workers take on the challenge of work and school to make them more “promotable” within the workplace or more marketable in the world of work. For some within organisations where qualifications count for much, having no letters behind your name means you will be overlooked for any upward mobility. In such a setting, the staff member is motivated to take on school and work since his economic survival is contingent on acquiring the ‘papers’.

Still, there are others who are motivated by the desire to acquire new skills and knowledge. They will end a course today and pick up another one tomorrow. The cost of the course may be an issue, but they would rather deal with that challenge than have to go home and have nothing to do in the evenings.

The upside of work-study juggling

* Having to work while you study develops your time management skills. To balance school and work, in addition to family obligations, is a tall order. To reap any measure of success, the student-worker must quickly and effectively develop or otherwise hone time management skills.

* It also provides the opportunity for upward social mobility. With education comes an improvement in competence. The more competent a worker is at performing his job, the more likely it is that he will be promoted and/or given a raise.

* It promotes sharing of family and home obligations among other members of the family. When a mother or father is engaged with school while working, the other must assume additional responsibility for the children and household chores, for example. Older children may have to take on additional household chores as well.

* Encourages teamwork among staff members. When assignments and examinations take a toll, the worker will have to rely on the team at work to step in and do, perhaps, a bit more than their share.

The downside of work-study juggling

* Could cause physical and mental strain which could lead to illness. Every worker runs the risk of burnout as obligations at school and at work clash, especially where they have a family.

* Could negatively impact marital relationships and relationships with children. Time spent at school is, after all, time spent away from home.

* If there is a shared family vehicle, there will be some amount of inconvenience if the vehicle is to be made available to all parties concerned.

* Efficiency at the workplace may be compromised as the student-employee may use work time to complete school assignments.

* School may be negatively affected by student-employee’s work obligations. There will be times when the pressure and demands of work prevent attendance to classes.

* Student-employees may use company resources, including paper, Internet, telephone, etc to complete school assignments.

* Student-employees run the risk of debt since on completion of their education, their salaries may not immediately be adjusted, if at all.

Wayne Powell is a human resources professional. He may be contacted at crisscounsellor@yahoo.com.