Working During Studying: A Challenge?

Elena Sysa asked students how they manage to combine work and study. Let's find out.

Finding balance between work and study can be hard, but it is possible.

Dasha Korobova (working as a journalist at “Novaya Gazeta”)

Where are you working now? What responsibilities do you have?

Now I am working as a journalist in the mass media called “Novaya Gazeta”. I am finding various news, writing different articles, taking some comments from the newsmakers, translating texts, transcribing interviews, etc.

What is more important for you at the current moment-study or work and why?

The work is more important for me now, because I am studying at such educational program, which has not any meaning without practicing and work experience.

Do you consider that working is vital for every student? What new experience have you received and what new skills have you learned?

I do not consider it compulsory, but I consider it very advantageous not only for earning money, but also for learning some new skills connected with your professional field. Personally I learned how to gather and work with information, how to work in a command, because from the lectures we get some knowledge, but on the practice it is rather different.

How do you deal with combining study and work? What losses do you have?

I miss some lectures and classes, but, to my mind, in this case it is really important to use your time correctly. For example, if you have a stable situation at the work, you can easily afford yourself to skip it and to go to the university and opposite.

What would you recommend for students who are doubting-to find a work or not? What resources for finding a job would you recommend?

I would recommend them to do what they need the experience for and money they are offered at the moment and maybe it is not a right decision to start working at the first grade, may be it will be more logical to become familiar with your university and to get new knowledge and to find a work later. All things are deeply individual here.

I would recommend them just to visit some events connected with their career and their study field, because sometimes there you can receive really beneficial suggestions from your colleagues.

Sasha Komova (working as a literature teacher in the study center “Maxima”)

Where are you working now? What responsibilities do you have?

Now I am working as a literature teacher, I prepare pupils for state exams. I teach classes twice a week, first of them is a lesson in the study center “Maxima”  and the second is a webinar. In my responsibilities also included the controlling of children-I should control how they do their homework, how they attend lessons, how they work during our seminars, and I also check their homework.

What is more important for you at the current moment-study or work and why?

I have a kind of a cognitive conflict inside of me. I have never wanted to be a teacher and I wanted to work somewhere in the media-sphere, but now I am really enjoying teaching and that is why sometimes work becomes more significant for me, than study. By the way, at this moments the second part of me is pretty critical towards it and says “hey, you wanted to be involved in media”. All this things are so unclear for me, I hope my point of view will become more understandable in time.

Do you consider that working is vital for every student? What new experience have you received and what new skills have you learned?

I consider that it depends on your specialization and your personal aims. As for me, yes. I am studying at the educational program Media communications, so we have some free time, which we can use for practicing our skills, because our work is more connected with practice, than with theory, or for earning some money. I consider that working is cool, because it develops in you more responsibility, than studying, because in the second case you are responsible only for yourself, when in the first one you are responsible also for someone and something else.

Of course, it depends on your faculty, for example, if you are hardly studying somewhere connected with nuclear physics, then yes, it might be really difficult for you to combine it with work.

If we are talking about some particular skills, then I learned to be really punctual and not to be late! (laughing)  Firstly, have some fine for being late. Secondly, I am also confused about it towards my pupils. Moreover, after starting working I began to write down in my dairy, because I am frightened that I will forget about someone’s work. I also began to pay more attention to time-management, than I did it before.

How you deal with combinating studying and working? What losses do you have?

If I am used to skip work or study, I usually prefer to skip study, because I do not earn any money by going to university and I feel a real responsibility towards my pupils at work. Here also plays its role the stability of work, because at HSE we have not fixed schedule.

What would you recommend for students who are doubting-to find a work or not? What resources for finding a job would you recommend?

If you want to have some personal improvements, then I would recommend you to go to work, because it is an exit of your comfort zone anyway. I am not sure what is more advantageous for your further career-concentrated study or hard work, but if we are talking about personal growth, then I would rather say work.

May be it will sound little bit strange, but the best resource for finding job, as for me, is talking all your friends and just all people around about your skills and desire to work somewhere. A lot of partnerships began in this way.  I swear, it works.

Dasha Pozhidaeva (working as a junior administrator of the TV show “Vecherniy Urgant”)

Where are you working now? What responsibilities do you have?

I am working as a junior administrator of the TV show “Vechernii Urgant”. I look after the auditorium, follow our visitors, organize the filming process etc.

What is more important for you at the current moment-study or work and why?

The work seems to me more important, because to my mind we are studying for this purpose. So, I am voting for the work (laughing).

Do you consider that working is vital for every student? What new experience have you received and what new skills have you learned?

I consider that generally it is necessary for every student to work during his or her studying at the university. Of course, not every faculty can afford it, but if we are speaking about our educational program (Media communications), then it is ok and we sometimes have too much free time. I have learned multitasking and better communication, also I have learned how to immediately involve into the current working processes. And how to sleep less! (laughing)

How you deal with combinating studying and working? What losses do you have?

It is pretty difficult. I missed last week at the university. I lose only studying, for communicating with friends and relatives I have enough time-at the evenings.

What would you recommend for students who are doubting-to find a work or not? What resources for finding a job would you recommend?

I would recommend not to doubt for students if you are going to find a work connected with their further career, because once I had an experience of working as a waitress and then I realised that it is absolutely pointless for my future. It is neccessary to monitor some websites, such as HeadHunter and some communities connected with your sphere at social networks, but finding jobs from your acquaintances is still the best source, as for me.

Interview by
Elena Sysa