Working and studying both full time, is it possible?

[FuckKnowsMate]

Has anyone managed to complete a certificate in higher education studying full time whilst also working full time? I have registered an interest in completing a Certificate in Higher Education with OU but I work full time and will need to carry on working full time to afford to live! I could do part time study but ideally I just want to get it done in a year in order to progress career wise as soon as possible!

I did my masters at the ou part time and worked full time bar the last 3 months of my dissertation where i took a days annual leave a week. Overlapping sector and study so the whole thing was a bus mans holiday. I did when DH was at medical school so did very little else - maybe seeing friends once a week, but no hobbies, Sunday papers or lunches, we spent all the evenings and all sundays studying for 3 years! I can’t imagine it would have been possible with children not sure if that is helpful or not!

Different subject but i worked full time in a senior management job and did a full time OU degree alongside it for three years. Very hard work but if you're dedicated its achievable - graduated with first class honours

Thanks for replies! No children and no partner either so don’t really have any distractions in that sense. I work shifts consisting of nights whereby there is absolutely nothing for me to do at work! So I was thinking I could complete a lot of the studying whilst on my night shifts perhaps

I managed to study for a degree with the OU full time for 3 years whilst working full time and with a young child. It was hard work and I would often end up studying and writing essays in lunch breaks, in the car, on trains etc. I had no particular social life with a young child anyway so that helped. Good luck.

I spent 8 months working on my dissertation while working full time.

3 days in the week, I would wake up & study from 5am - 8am and then work 9-6, and study from 8-10pm. I would also work all day Saturday and have Sunday off. Most of my leave was spent on studying too.

It worked for me - DH was overseas & no kids so I could fully dedicate to it. I ended up with 80% on my dissertation so it worked out well!

Yes, if you are organised, plan studying sensibly, are determined and can stick to studying every spare minute you have.