Funding your own education

Balancing work and study: My story of paying for tuition fees.

Evolving from high school to tertiary institutions is a huge change in one’s life, the journey is filled with excitement, new challenges and uncertainty.

For me, it was not much of change from high school to tertiary institutions as I chose ODEL (long distance learning). In this article I want to share my story of funding my degree through everyday job.

When I first enrolled at UNISA, the thoughts of paying for my studies hit hard, with a limited financial help and not being able to get funding, I knew I had to work to make my degree a reality.

The key to managing work and study was finding a job that worked well with my academic schedule. I landed a job as a caretaker in a local day-care center, where I finished at 15:00 pm weekdays and 16:00 pm on Saturdays. As time went by, I got an opportunity of tutoring school learners. These two jobs provided me with a steady income which helped with covering tuition instalments and textbooks.

The biggest challenge wasn’t work itself. It was time management, completing assignments, attending lectures online and work shifts. To stay on

top of it all, I used a calendar for reminding me of important dates. I also learned to prioritize my studies and income over late-night parties.

The work-study life demanded sacrifices and through them, I learned a few strategies that making the balance between the two more manageable.

Master time management - Use a calendar to plan out your week, including your study time and your work shifts.

Prioritize resting - Make time to sleep, as studying a lot can cause a burnout, prioritize your mental health to stay productive in both work and study.

Communicate with your employers - Let your boss know about your academics, inform them about your academic plans.

By the time I graduated, I had covered most of my study fees through my own earnings, even though balancing work and study wasn’t a walk on the park. It meant long hours of studying, missed social events and a lot of multitasking, but in all of that, it definitely taught me discipline and value of time.

To anyone facing financial challenges of funding your tertiary education, my story is a testimony that with focus and determination, you can create your future while growing. My journey wasn’t an easy one, but it all led to a Bachelor of Education degree, that I am proud to have.