Chemical Forums

General Forums => Generic Discussion => Topic started by: Guitarmaniac86 on August 30, 2011, 04:18:30 PM

Title: Working During My Masters?
Post by: Guitarmaniac86 on August 30, 2011, 04:18:30 PM

I have to work through my Masters to pay for living costs as I had to take out a loan for the course fees. Sucks to be in the UK! lol.

Anyway, Im doing an MSc in drug discovery and it is taught with a huge research component. I ll be working in a restaurant as a cook for 8 - 12 hours on a sat and sun and maybe two 4 hr shifts in the evenings. Is it possible to study and work in this manner? I plan on doing no more than 16 - 20 hours of work a week. I have a provisional timetable, and I can study between gaps in lectures and study on days that Im not working, plus I am allowed in the labs past 5pm.

So if I plan my time, is it possible? Ive heard a lot of people say its a bad idea, and Ive heard a lot of people say that they done it and they said it was hard but do-able.

Title: Re: Working During My Masters?
Post by: Doc Oc on August 30, 2011, 04:53:20 PM

Does your program not have teaching assistant stipends available?  Most of the MS track students in my program were able to secure these, although they fell lower on the priority list than the Ph.D candidates so often they got the least desirable courses.  Nonetheless, this allowed them to avoid taking on a separate job.  My program was also US based, and I don't know how things work in the UK.

I will agree that it sounds like a terrible idea, but since I don't have specific experience in this area you can take my opinion with a grain of salt.  My first year of graduate school was incredibly difficult, I can't imagine having to clock in on a regular job outside of that.