Now that I am approaching the end of my four-year degree program, I will be having to take a leave from my job as an aerospace mathematician. Although I love this position, it is not what I originally signed up for when I entered a Ph.D. program. Instead, it is a way for me to transition from working in the wings to working at the center of the airplane. Now, all of my spare time will be devoted to studying and I will have to rearrange my schedule accordingly. How can I possibly study while juggling a full-time job?
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to study while adjusting to your new lifestyle. One option is to simply hire yourself an assistant, or pay someone to take your university tests for you. You will be responsible for getting the work done and answering questions when they come up. While this will free up some time for you, be sure that you arrange for a backup person to join you so that your responsibilities do not shift and you are not left holding the bag on those extra tests and quizzes. This way you can be sure that you get everything done in a timely manner.
If that option does not work out, you might consider taking an online course. A large number of universities now offer downloadable courses that you can take on your own time. In most cases, you will not even need an instructor to coach you. The software will typically walk you through the concepts and give you an answer or correction when you are wrong.
This option is less flexible than hiring an assistant, as it will usually take quite a bit longer to complete. However, if you are just looking to finish one class, then you are not committed to continuing with the online course. Additionally, many online courses do require that you be online at set times of the day, which could become inconvenient if you have a job. Some do allow for mid-night class sessions, but you must be logged into the course at least once an hour.
An interesting way to take online courses and avoid having to commit to a set schedule is to get your college degree program to furnish your study materials for you. Many colleges and universities now offer online courses that you take around your class schedule. You can download the course material from the website and print out the copies you need to take the test at the designated times.
You can also request that professors mail you pre-requisites or suggested reading ahead of time. Online learning tends to be much faster than traditional courses. Therefore, you can go through the material very quickly. However, this also takes up some extra time during the week, so you may need to accommodate this. Also, make sure that any assignments are completed before your due date.
Another way to take care of this problem is to take notes on each section of the test. Then, use an analyzer to see how many of the questions you answered correctly. By doing this, you will know exactly where you want to focus your attention. As a word of caution, however, do not try to predict what the outcome of the test will be before you have taken it! That will definitely lead to an unnecessary waste of time. Also, be sure to eat a healthy lunch if you plan to take this test!