Working While In Ot/pt

[hopefullyOT]

I'm in need of some opinions. For all of you who are going into OT/PT programs in the fall, congrats! I'm wondering if any of you are planning on working during the program?

 

And to the current students I see around these pages, are you working? Or are there people in your classes that are working? How is it going?

 

I don't want to have to quit my job but it is not very flexible in terms of the hours that I would work. I'm concerned that I won't be able to work around school.

 

Thoughts?

[PTea]

What university are you going to be attending?  I'll share what I know about the University of Ottawa, but it might vary depending on the school.

 

Based on the information I've gathered so far from students in the PT/OT programs at the UOttawa, there are a few students who choose to work during the first year. However, most don't work, and those who do pretty much quit their jobs by their second year. 

 

With UOttawa (and most universities as far as I know), you have class all day.  Meaning, you technically will be able to work in the evenings/weekends.  But keep in mind you need time to study as well!  

 

From my understanding, most students choose not to work in hopes that they can have a bit of a social life while staying on top of their studies.  

 

Your best bet is to start trying to organize your schedule now. Figure out what your class schedule will be and work out how much time you think you'll need to study. Then speak with your employer and figure out what your work schedule would look like in September. Keep in mind that you'll need time to relax!  

Hope this is somewhat helpful  

[OTMac17]

I'm at Mac OT, and I tried to work and ended up quitting because between school and work, I didn't have any time for a proper home life and was so stressed. But I have some classmates who are working and handling it, so I think it depends on you a lot. (Not too much help sorry!)

[hopefullyOT]

What university are you going to be attending? I'll share what I know about the University of Ottawa, but it might vary depending on the school.

 

Based on the information I've gathered so far from students in the PT/OT programs at the UOttawa, there are a few students who choose to work during the first year. However, most don't work, and those who do pretty much quit their jobs by their second year.

 

With UOttawa (and most universities as far as I know), you have class all day. Meaning, you technically will be able to work in the evenings/weekends. But keep in mind you need time to study as well!

 

From my understanding, most students choose not to work in hopes that they can have a bit of a social life while staying on top of their studies.

 

Your best bet is to start trying to organize your schedule now. Figure out what your class schedule will be and work out how much time you think you'll need to study. Then speak with your employer and figure out what your work schedule would look like in September. Keep in mind that you'll need time to relax!

Hope this is somewhat helpful

Thanks! I'm going to uofm. I'm thinking I'm going to leave my job but I'd hate to give it up if I don't have to.

[hopefullyOT]

I'm at Mac OT, and I tried to work and ended up quitting because between school and work, I didn't have any time for a proper home life and was so stressed. But I have some classmates who are working and handling it, so I think it depends on you a lot. (Not too much help sorry!)

Thanks! I was thinking that I was going to try but I'm more leaning towards quitting before school starts.

[laudable]

Thanks! I was thinking that I was going to try but I'm more leaning towards quitting before school starts.

You could keep it and see if you can juggle both. If you can't, just quit then. Like OTMac17 said, it depends on you. If you are the type that is easily stressed out by school work, working might not be a good idea. There are some people who have great time management and do not stress out so much about school work but are still able to stay on top of it. Those people are. You have to decide which group you fall into or just try it and find out if you can do it. Good luck

[otbea]

What university are you going to be attending?  I'll share what I know about the University of Ottawa, but it might vary depending on the school.

 

Based on the information I've gathered so far from students in the PT/OT programs at the UOttawa, there are a few students who choose to work during the first year. However, most don't work, and those who do pretty much quit their jobs by their second year. 

 

With UOttawa (and most universities as far as I know), you have class all day.  Meaning, you technically will be able to work in the evenings/weekends.  But keep in mind you need time to study as well!  

 

From my understanding, most students choose not to work in hopes that they can have a bit of a social life while staying on top of their studies.  

 

Your best bet is to start trying to organize your schedule now. Figure out what your class schedule will be and work out how much time you think you'll need to study. Then speak with your employer and figure out what your work schedule would look like in September. Keep in mind that you'll need time to relax!  

Hope this is somewhat helpful

 I'm a current OT student at U of T, and I do know of a fair amount of people that work - some in work-study positions in the department that are extremely flexible and some outside of the university. I was also working for the majority of the past two semesters and am currently on a temporary leave from my job (which is flexible). There are a few things that you might want to consider:

 

1) Does your program have group work?

 

Mine does, and even though the official schedule features days that are 9-4 and other days that only have one three hour class, those seemingly empty hours are often taken up by group work. You can technically work evenings/weekends, but keep in mind that it will be on top of a class schedule that ends up being full-time (as the above poster also pointed out).

 

2) Will you be commuting?

 

Commuting isn't that bad, but it can take a lot of time. Depending on what time I start my commute, it can be between an hour and an hour and a half one way. I either study on my commute or need to take extra time on top of my commute to study, which again cuts into available work hours.

 

3) Are you receiving any kind of scholarship that stipulates the maximum number of hours that you can work outside of school and still receive the scholarship?

 

4) What do you want out of your experience in the program?

 

I know that I wanted to be involved in related extracurriculars and have some sort of social life, both of which take time. I also wanted to keep working, as I enjoyed my job (and any extra money is good, what with tuition fees and rent etc.), but I ended up deciding to severely limit my work hours. Even with that limitation, my schedule was/is exhausting as I was/am involved in so many different things! It might be worth considering switching to a work-study job that is more flexible if you want/need to keep working. Or you could try the above poster's suggestion and see how your first semester goes!

[hopefullyOT]

I'm a current OT student at U of T, and I do know of a fair amount of people that work - some in work-study positions in the department that are extremely flexible and some outside of the university. I was also working for the majority of the past two semesters and am currently on a temporary leave from my job (which is flexible). There are a few things that you might want to consider:

 

1) Does your program have group work?

 

Mine does, and even though the official schedule features days that are 9-4 and other days that only have one three hour class, those seemingly empty hours are often taken up by group work. You can technically work evenings/weekends, but keep in mind that it will be on top of a class schedule that ends up being full-time (as the above poster also pointed out).

 

2) Will you be commuting?

 

Commuting isn't that bad, but it can take a lot of time. Depending on what time I start my commute, it can be between an hour and an hour and a half one way. I either study on my commute or need to take extra time on top of my commute to study, which again cuts into available work hours.

 

3) Are you receiving any kind of scholarship that stipulates the maximum number of hours that you can work outside of school and still receive the scholarship?

 

4) What do you want out of your experience in the program?

 

I know that I wanted to be involved in related extracurriculars and have some sort of social life, both of which take time. I also wanted to keep working, as I enjoyed my job (and any extra money is good, what with tuition fees and rent etc.), but I ended up deciding to severely limit my work hours. Even with that limitation, my schedule was/is exhausting as I was/am involved in so many different things! It might be worth considering switching to a work-study job that is more flexible if you want/need to keep working. Or you could try the above poster's suggestion and see how your first semester goes!

Thanks for the advice! I've applied to a few more flexible jobs so that I can have more control of the hours I work. You're right, the program I'm going to be in does have a lot of group work. And I won't be living close to school so it will take me a while to get to and from. Thanks again!

[XinGaoMin]

Basically we can't unless we are robots 

[crystal93]

I'm still deciding whether or not to work - while I worked throughout my undergrad without a problem, I didn't hang out with friends at school or near school after class, nor did any of my ECs occur at school. I didn't mind it at the time, but I want to be more involved with my PT class and not always heading home the second class finishes.

 

In professional programs you're constantly with your future colleagues, and I'd like to make connections and get to know my classmates. While I'm sure there are people who manage, I know I can't do school, work, volunteering, and a school social life without becoming exhausted.

 

I would be concerned about the flexibility of my job, as you could be given any kind of hours in your placements. I also don't want my academics to suffer if I'm working too many hours, as I'm unsure how the workload of PT school will compare to that of my undergrad.

 

Another thing to consider is the cost of your time - are you being paid minimum wage, or is your job paying well? Personally I would not continue with my job if I was being paid minimum wage. Additionally, does this job relate to your future career? Is it helping shape you into a great OT? Will it be beneficial for future job interviews to have it as current experience on your CV?

 

Everyone else above has brought up great points, but I just wanted to add a couple of things 

[hopefullyOT]

I'm still deciding whether or not to work - while I worked throughout my undergrad without a problem, I didn't hang out with friends at school or near school after class, nor did any of my ECs occur at school. I didn't mind it at the time, but I want to be more involved with my PT class and not always heading home the second class finishes.

 

In professional programs you're constantly with your future colleagues, and I'd like to make connections and get to know my classmates. While I'm sure there are people who manage, I know I can't do school, work, volunteering, and a school social life without becoming exhausted.

 

I would be concerned about the flexibility of my job, as you could be given any kind of hours in your placements. I also don't want my academics to suffer if I'm working too many hours, as I'm unsure how the workload of PT school will compare to that of my undergrad.

 

Another thing to consider is the cost of your time - are you being paid minimum wage, or is your job paying well? Personally I would not continue with my job if I was being paid minimum wage. Additionally, does this job relate to your future career? Is it helping shape you into a great OT? Will it be beneficial for future job interviews to have it as current experience on your CV?

 

Everyone else above has brought up great points, but I just wanted to add a couple of things

Thanks for the input! You raised some really good points.

[ssava041]

I'm still deciding whether or not to work - while I worked throughout my undergrad without a problem, I didn't hang out with friends at school or near school after class, nor did any of my ECs occur at school. I didn't mind it at the time, but I want to be more involved with my PT class and not always heading home the second class finishes.

 

In professional programs you're constantly with your future colleagues, and I'd like to make connections and get to know my classmates. While I'm sure there are people who manage, I know I can't do school, work, volunteering, and a school social life without becoming exhausted.

 

I would be concerned about the flexibility of my job, as you could be given any kind of hours in your placements. I also don't want my academics to suffer if I'm working too many hours, as I'm unsure how the workload of PT school will compare to that of my undergrad.

 

Another thing to consider is the cost of your time - are you being paid minimum wage, or is your job paying well? Personally I would not continue with my job if I was being paid minimum wage. Additionally, does this job relate to your future career? Is it helping shape you into a great OT? Will it be beneficial for future job interviews to have it as current experience on your CV?

 

Everyone else above has brought up great points, but I just wanted to add a couple of things

Are you working while doing your PT program now?