Working and studying at the same time: 5 tips and tricks from our Gamers

Finding the right balance between working and studying might seem difficult. If you’re looking for a way to boost your skills while working in a fast-paced environment, Fabamaq has got you covered in this article. Keep reading to learn how our Gamers master it.

Whether you’re a student who wants to find a job to cover your expenses or you’re currently employed but wish to expand your knowledge, self-discipline and dedication are must-haves in this exciting journey. Don’t worry, it’s totally possible to have the best of both worlds while also having a life - find out how!

How to balance work and studies without burnout

Managing a full-time job and still going to university can feel quite daunting. Nonetheless, with the right dose of prioritization, it’s perfectly achievable. We sat down with our Gamers as they unravel their secrets on how to balance work with studies while also having fun.

Our Gamer Denis Vieira is a Software Engineer at Fabamaq Automation & Delivery team and has been with the company since 2016. He balances his time between the development of apps at Fabamaq and the Computer Engineering bachelor’s degree at ISEP.

Meanwhile, our Gamer Afonso Martins chose Fabamaq to have his first contact with the business world, spending his days between the internship at our Creative Core team as a Software Engineer and the degree of Computer Engineering at FEUP. Let’s see which tricks they have up their sleeves.

1. Find your passions

Betting on a particular interest of yours will make it a lot easier to invest time and energy while working at the same time.

That saying “Work on what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life” may have some truth to it. Starting by understanding what interests you, what subjects you gravitate more towards, can be a starting point to make this journey of balancing your professional life with graduation easier to manage.

Denis Vieira tells us a good example of how betting on what sparks joy pays off: "What led me to work and study at the same time was essentially the unexplored curiosity for development. With a background in multimedia, I had never really had a college education in Computer Science and always felt I lacked the foundations to understand how things behind a computer really worked. So, I started by learning to program on my own, exploring new languages, until I finally set a goal that I had which was to get a degree in Computer Engineering, regardless of everyone’s opinions. It was something I wanted, so I went for it".

Knowing yourself and what motivates you is important when defining your destiny. Afonso Martins explains: "Having a clear idea of the areas I was good at, such as engineering, airplanes, aeronautics, and Computer Science, made me filter the range of possibilities available in terms of education. Realizing what made sense for me, where I could see myself working, and what kind of job I wanted helped define my path"..

2. Define your goals and search for the best tools

Making a list of all the steps you need to take in order to reach your goals allows to be organized and focused.

With your interests all set, it's time to start thinking about the goals you want to commit to if you choose to maintain a job with your studies. Do you want to change professional areas and start a new job? Or do you want to expand your technical knowledge to become an expert in your profession? It all depends on the vision you want for your career.

It is natural that at first you feel confused by the many options that exist, so thorough research before choosing a course is always recommended. “In the technology sector, being self-taught allows you to get very far. We have a lot of information available for free on the internet and in various formats from short tutorials to complete courses. In addition, we have several communities and events in Portugal focused on various areas of programming, such as Game Jams for the game development area”, realça o Denis.

For those who want to enter this game development, industry, Afonso reinforces that starting to practice as soon as possible is an advantage for any future programmer: "Learning Python, JavaScript, C++ and Rust is a good starting point. Mastering Git is very useful, exploring discussion forums like Stack Overflow, asking friends or acquaintances for recommendations on training courses and certificates to be taken, searching on job sites for internship places or watching tutorials on YouTube helps us evolve quickly".

3. Plan your work and study routines

Being organized with deadlines and important tasks will help establish priorities between work and studies.

Once you have chosen the training option that makes the most sense for you, it is essential that you find a balance between the hours you spend working and the time you have available for studying.

Planning assumes a "fundamental role in managing time and effort, as well as in prioritizing tasks, so establishing a calendar with important dates for evaluations and tests, college assignments or work releases and sticking to it allows us to measure your effort in certain tasks",, Afonso argues.

Denis adds that "the company's understanding and flexibility is also important in managing time and priorities, since a hybrid work model shortens the time spent commuting and gives us extra motivation to perform better, both in the work and the education contexts”.

4. Ask for help when necessary

Asking for guidance makes this journey of working and studying at the same time a lot easier to manage.

When you’re facing problems with time management or related to the complexity of work projects, you might feel tired or even frustrated. "The day has only 24 hours and even if you try you can't do everything by yourself, so avoid working yourself to exhaustion", advises Denis.

Burnout is a real problem, and the psychosocial risks that come from working excessively are noticeable not only in your relationships, but also in your efficiency and productivity. However, there are ways to ask for guidance and a lot of artificial intelligence (AI) tools you can use to maximize your time without compromising your mental health.

"Asking for help is key in the developmentcommunity, and people are very willing to support us when we need it. There's no fear of teaching, of giving input, even in discussion forums me and my university colleagues we’ve had help from Swedish developers and that's fantastic, it shows us that information is within everyone's reach,", explains Afonso.

5. Save time for personal development

Do you feel like you are not performing as well as you would like? Is inspiration failing you and motivation is lacking? Are you confused about what you are doing and why you are doing it? Then you are probably failing to set boundaries between your work, your studies, and your personal life.

Work-life balance is crucial for feeling good both physically and mentally. Plan your month ahead so that you can set aside moments to follow your personal projects, to work on your own development, to practice your hobbies, but also to be with those who bring you that daily energy boost.

Don’t forget…

Choosing to study while working might be tough sometimes, but always remember to take care of yourself while going through this rewarding adventure. Betting on your professional and personal development depends solely on you, so make the most of it!

Looking for a tech job? Join Fabamaq now

With over 200 Gamers so far, Fabamaq has several tech jobs in different areas of operation. From mathematics to game development, passing through project management, and software development, there are a lot of job opening to explore. Grab your career jackpot now!