To think this is possible: studying full time and part time simultaneously?

[LaPetite]

I really want to do an MA in an arty subject that only has quite limited scope to improve my employability, so I don't feel I could justify taking a year out of work to pursue it.

But I was thinking what if at the same time I did an evening course at college? Maybe AAT or something vocational

Surely it would be the same as studying full time while working part time or vice versa and plenty of people do that.

Does it sound doable? Has anyone done it?

I would be hoping to start in September next year.

If it's relevant to how people would answer I'm a single parent, DCs are aged now 16 and 20, so at the time I would be starting DC1 would, if all goes well, have recently graduated and (fingers crossed) be in some kind of paid employment. DC2 would (again if all goes well) be half way through A levels.

I own my house mortgage free and have enough savings to last about three years.

My biggest worry about taking time out of work is what if I never manage to find another job again.

Am I an idiot for even thinking of doing this?

Sounds fun to me! :D

Have you done any evening classes or similar recently, to help you know how you will cope?

Thanks!

I've done a couple of online courses related to the subject I want to do an MA in so I think I could cope.

Depends on how much work is involved on the MA course. If it is one year-long and the research project is substantial, you may not have much time or head space to do anything outside of it. Besides, art degrees are all about being part of the community, sitting in a library for hours on end, having a philosophical debate with your mate at 5am, gallery-hopping and skipping sleep to see a 6h-long conceptual play at the local theatre co-operative. I would be inclined to make the absolute most of the experience rather than worrying about putting numbers in a spreadsheet or worse, writing 300 word essay on the importance of equality and diversity in accounting when I have an 18k-word research project to "give birth to".
maybe it is just my experience of the art school...

If the masters has a project or dissertation it will take up huge, huge, amounts of your time.

A masters degree is very different to undergrad. Yes some students will work part time, but working and studying a second course are very different things. I think you’d be pushing the boundaries and likely to end up not enjoying either course.

There would be a big project for the MA, but from what I've looked into at my local uni the course runs from September to September with the project due at the end. Any college course I do would end in July so I would have about two months to focus on my project.

I get what you mean about being part of a community but wouldn't most MA students have other responsibilities too? Part time jobs, children, volunteering etc.

I did an MSc while working full time, so don't see why not.

I worked full time through my MA but in a job that didn't require much thinking. I don't think this will work - your brain needs time to process the things it's learning in the background, and instead of giving it that you'll be giving it numbers when it's trying to think about art and art when it's trying to think numbers.

Do your MA while working part time, then do the AAT afterwards if you still feel the need to do something sensible. You have savings and no mortgage - you're in a good position to take a little risk.

Thanks.

You've all given me a lot to think about.

I suppose if I did it I would need to find out how many hours of independent study per week would be required of each course, and I'd have to be very compartmentalised and regimented about my study time, which could end up being stressful and take away any enjoyment.

I would do the MA part time whilst working instead

If it's level 2 AAT, it will be very little work and you can combine it with studying something else. I can't speak to level 3.

I've done two MAs in the evening / weekend whilst working as a primary teacher.
Completely doable if you like studying and working.

Go for it!

You remind me me of my ex who said he can do his PhD in 2 years since he already has grasp of the subject and a strong idea. " I wouldn't even need to go to the library!" 😂 It took him 7 years ...
Two months is not enough to write a research project for a master's degree. There is also a surprisingly large jump between the BA and MA in terms of expectations and rubric. I think you are underestimating the amount of work involved.
Some people will indeed have other responsibilities (the majority of your classmates will be coming straight from BA so won't) it doesn't mean they can't cope with the course, just that they may not get the full experience. If you just want a qualification out of it, then sure. But having given up full time work to be able to do art degree as a mature student, I wanted to give my 100% focus to it all as this wasn't an experience I would ever be able to repeat.

Officially the MA should take up 40 hours a week of your time. I don't know about this specific MA, but most master degrees in my department/faculty only have about 8-12 hours of classes, the remainder is independent study. Whether you actually end up spending 40hrs/week on it will depend on 2 things: how easy/challenging you find it, and how interested you are in it.

I teach Master students. Most do not need to spend anywhere near 40hrs a week on their studies to pass, though obviously if you want to get a 1st you'll probable need to do more than the bare minimum. More generally though, if you're doing the degree purely because you're interested in it AND you're paying £££ for it, then surely you want to allow yourself the time to really explore the subject, get stuck into the readings, etc.? If you're just rushing through it then what's the point?

I don't mean I would be doing the whole project in two months! I would be be working on it throughout the year, then I would have those last two months of focusing on it intensely all day every day.

I've looked at how much study is required of a level 2 AAT at my local college. It would be 3 hours classroom time every fortnight in term time plus 4-5 hours online study a week, so I would be spending between 4 and 8 hours on it.

I kind of feel that I would need to do something sensible alongside an arty MA partly because I feel I need to improve my chances of getting back into work afterwards, partly because I don't feel I deserve the time out to just focus on this, and partly because I picture myself floating into the sky on an arty cloud and feel I need something sensible anchoring me to the ground.

Thanks for all your responses. Even though I'd love to do it I'm realising it might not be possible.

I’m currently writing up a masters dissertation and am up against the wire to get it done in time. I did it full time, no kids at home, no other job - although I do have significant volunteering committments.
I was unwell for 2months earlier this year. i worked throughout but it was hard and i obviously didn’t get on as fast as I might have done. Hence working around the clock just now. The unexpected can happen and disrupt your plans.