The lively metropolis of Vancouver provides a wealth of chances for development, education and work. Finding a healthy balance can be challenging for students who are trying to achieve academically while simultaneously handling the responsibilities of their jobs.

In this blog, whether you’re a full-time professional pursuing higher education or a student with a part-time work, I will traverse you through the path of practical methods for maintaining equilibrium and leading a balanced life in Vancouver. Whether it is about my journey from where I knew nothing about the job market to being somewhere at a better place after one and half year in Canada, I suggest one thing to always keep fresh in mind that never forget the first motivated sentence that made you land here. Remembering this decision made then, will keep you focused and motivated daily to get through hardships and work towards our ultimate goals.

Lacking knowledge of the job market in Canada, I initially began seeking for positions with a considerable experience of 3.5 years at a managerial role from India, but I was consistently turned down and with those refusals, I understood that I needed to change my strategy. To everyone who is reading this, my first piece of advice is to start applying for an entry-level role irrespective of job sector in order to have a stable mindset. The reason behind refusals remained unknown to me for a long time. But then I started the feedback and introspecting approach for my interviews and that was when I realized that the reason for refusals were either me being overqualified or underqualified or lack of work permit. It was a lot to digest all at one time while giving considerable time to studies as well, it is equally crucial to survive and develop in a new country. I have many ups and downs in my career like every other student and started my journey from working as a dishwasher to working in retail as a salesperson for high-end brands.

Based on my journey, I would like to show some pointers to consider in your life.

How to Have a Balanced Life as a Student

The process of balancing a healthy lifestyle, avoiding loneliness and boosting self-love require several fundamental attributes to develop.

  1. Managing timelines: Set priorities for your obligations and make a plan that includes both academic and extracurricular activity. On top of anything and everything, prioritize yourself and set routines for studying, self-care, socializing and even participating in extracurricular activities. I have been very social back from when I was in India, but things changed after moving here. It is quite challenging to make friends here as each one is sailing in the same boat of stress and mental pressure of work and study. So, to survive in the long run, it is important to socialize, improve yourself and make sure you know some people in the area. This was basically taught to me during one of my sessions in MBA Foundation to make a successful schedule and work on it.
  2. SMART technique: Set attainable objectives for the day, the week or the month. Larger activities can be divided into smaller, more manageable ones to prevent being overwhelmed and to maintain a continuous progress. Set your goals in a way that will allow you to be clear about them and allow them to evolve over time by evaluating how you are doing. For instance, I used to successfully create 5 worthwhile contacts to my LinkedIn network in a week. These objectives ought to be meaningful and reachable. It also helps you feel more confident that you are making progress towards your goals to measure them on a daily, weekly and monthly basis as previously mentioned.
  3. Love your self: Schedule time for self-care pursuits like physical activity, mindfulness practice, leisure pursuits and spending quality time with loved ones. Making self-care a priority improves productivity and minimizes burnout. I used to enjoy going to new places and I always made sure that I spend one day without books and explore one new place every week. It is necessary cause it helps me calm down and be ready for the upcoming week.

How to Balance Part-Time Work and School

While putting in 20 hours per week and completing assignments on schedule may appear straightforward, what about taking care of yourself and your happiness? Students like me, who come from an overly-pampered familial environment and are suddenly confronted with obligations and problems, generally lose their edge over time. But every day while laying on my bed to sleep, I promised myself not to idle away any time and try being more productive the next day. You can consider pondering upon below points:

  1. Always be open with your employer: Keep the lines of communication with your employer and educational institution open and transparent. To promote understanding and look into possible accommodations, let them know that you have work and educational commitments. It is necessary for the employer to know that your focus is on studies as well as work and you are juggling between the two at a slower pace.
  2. Workplace flexibility: Look for companies that permit remote work or flexible scheduling. This enables you to coordinate your working hours more effectively with your academic obligations. However, show employers that you have specific days of availability for work and not give an open availability. Giving an open availability puts the ball in the employers’ court and we need to make sure we do not do this as you might be taken for granted. Give a day to yourself always.
  3. Utilize technology: To streamline your routine, use productivity applications, online calendars, and task management tools. These online tools might help you keep track of your obligations and organize them. Also use the Internet as a medium to learn with some certifications, which are available for free on the internet. Do a certification and showcase it at your workplace as well as the University. It is always making you skillful and Canada needs skillful workers.

How to Balance Job and School

Being a student, you must make sure that you excel even in your studies along with work. There are some tips which can help you grab full time opportunities in the long run:

  1. Seek synergy: Look for employment possibilities related to your area of study. Finding a profession that supports your academic goals might improve your learning and decrease the feeling of workload. For example, my interest lies in sales, and I get a chance to practice those skills every day at work when I go to my part time job.
  2. Learn new studying habits: Utilize time-saving approaches like active reading, writing brief study notes. Make a mind map of your lectures with simple diagrams so that you can understand and memorize it easily. Having simple techniques make it easy to memorize concepts and utilize it in the real world.
  3. Family is our strength: Assistance from friends and family is required at every step. Building stronger bonds is important when working on group projects so that your teammates will support you when things become tough, and you will support them taking as an owing in their time of need.
  4. Utilize university resources: Our University offers several resources such as tutoring, counselling and peer support which can be utilized to boost your confidence academically and managing studies and work. Our university also has career development programs, which are useful to understand where we stand as a student, and they show us the path to getting the dream job.

In Vancouver, balancing job and education might be difficult, but with careful preparation, efficient time management, and a supporting network, a balanced existence is achievable. For long-term success and fulfilment, keep in mind that establishing balance between your academic endeavors, employment obligations, and personal well-being is crucial. You would be better prepared to succeed academically, professionally, and personally while embracing the exciting prospects Vancouver has to offer by putting the techniques mentioned above into practice. Utilize the resources learnt from the university in real life and each of us would be having a successful future in Canada.

Written by UCW MBA Student Darshan H.

Published on June 23, 2023.