combining studies with work

Hi All

I did and passed a number of sittings while studying fulltime,but i got a job end of last year.
Combining work with studies is proving a real challenge for me,id like views from anyone on how they managed to cope with this.

I work from 8:15-5pm

 

how many days per week? do you have a UK study package? without a study package you are disadvantaged against the competition....

 

I work Monday to Friday and some saturdays.
Whats a UK study package??

 

study package = agreed days off an emloyer gives you to study for your exams - typically about 8 days per CT subject in the UK I think

a typical study package should give you approximately half the time needed to study for an exam, so without this, I agree, you would be at a big disadvantage. But its just a question of finding the hours, and making sure your studying is efficient and productive.

I find using commuting time and having notes on your for any unexpected downtime can really help squeeze in some extra study time.

As for making your studying efficient, I find tutorials and looking at past papers can help identify what areas are most/least worth focusing on. Also looking at the syllabus objectives at the beginning of each chapter, and the chapter summaries at the end.

 

Firstly, carefully choose how much to study...eg you may only manage 1 subject a sitting without employer support.

Set a timetable out which you can realistically stick to. Have milestones like
chapters 1-4 by date....
assignment x by date...
complete course by...
revise from to
past paper x on .... {make sure you have the full 3 hrs to do this}

As previously said, its quality of study not quantity. Always be active, not passive. Reading isn't active, making notes doing qns etc is active.

It is achievable but requires a disciplined approach.

Good luck

 

i get 14 days off just before the exam
Combining work/studies/personal life is a real circus for me.

Bystander your stuff was really helpful,ive set milestones to reach at specific dates,hope i can achieve them by 7th October!

 

One strategy I'm implementing is clubbing more papers for a delayed sitting. Eg: Having a target of two (or three) papers in one year is IMHO, simpler to having the 1 paper per 6months strategy. It comes with its disadvantages no doubt, but it gives you the flexibility of having more leverage to short term contingencies while planning your studies. (I spend 11 hours a day incl commute time and they don't have a study support policy)

 

Me too but I think you mean 10 days since you don't count weekends.

I leave 10 minutes away from work. I work from 7.30 am to 7.00 pm. I work about four out of five Saturdays around six hours each.

I study from 7.30pm to 10.00pm Mon-Fri; 3 hours on Sat; 3 hours on Sun.

One thing I do realise is that when you work hard you enjoy every second of free time you get and I mean absolute joy.

 

I admire such rigorous approach to studying....how do you motivate yourself to sit by the desk from 7.30 pm to 10 pm Mon-Fri after you just came back from work by the desk....when do you eat, go to the gym etc

 

I have a home gym, power rack, bench, 300kg of weight disks..the works...but I broke my arm 4 months in the gym ago so no gym.

I snack at around 6pm and eat at 10.30pm.

Personal life....
I don't have a TV but watch DVD box sets.
I have an on-off gf who lives in the same apartment block as me. We go out together, regular Friday late night movies and Sunday restaurant lunches.
I never answer phone calls on my landline during study and only return phone calls with absolute prejudice. I flushed my mobile phone down the loo. Kidding...I haven't had a mobile phone for years just haven't seen the point.

Motivation....
...the superior satisfaction that I am using my time more efficiently than anyone else on planet Earth.....and the time-honoured adage, Routine is King.

 

and what time do you got to bed then?

 

Between 11.30 and 12.30. I wake up at 6.45.

 

And when you are studying from 7.30 pm to 10 pm, do you take breaks?

I think I need to discipline myself...

 

Not really no breaks. My reward is a cigarette at the end outside in the cool night breeze . I am not a robot so I do lose concentration and my mind may wonder especially right now when I don't get to work with a lot of figures in the ST subjects...but its more momentary than pervasive.

 

In general, I would be interested in how your employer is helping you to get through exams?
How many days do you get etc.?

 

20 working days annually. 10 days for each session but I only use this at exam time. This excludes the actual exam days.

 

But the amount of days would vary by exam type, correct?

 

No its standard.

 

Big call... BIG CALL

 

Hi Guys,

just read the chain of replies here. I was wondering how is life after one passes a few exams and gets into a job?
Also, how is the pay and life after one becomes an actuary?
As I saw some have mentioned that they work on weekends and the study package is only 8 days per subject

Regards,
Warrior

 

work + study combo

Warrior - the 8 days study leave is fairly typical for a CT subject. (10 is the most i've heard of.) For an ST subject 16 days is typical, and 24 or more for CA1 from what i've heard. This should make up about half the suggested number of study hours for each subject, so seems pretty reasonable to me. Do you think an employer should give you much more???

I think its safe to say most student actuaries will study most weekends (for the few months before exams anyway), but its quite unusual to need to work on office work at the weekends in my experience, if that's what you meant. There are always exceptions of course, but I think generally actuaries get a pretty good work-life balance (studying & exams aside), given that they're generally pretty well rewarded