Lessons from part-time work

When I was done with my A Levels, right before starting university, I was hit with some pretty tough times at home. This meant that I had to take care of myself at the very least. Like most college kids in the West, I decided to start working part time. During my time in university, studying Econ & Finance, I worked primarily in the private education space in Karachi but also dabbled with the corporate world and physical wellness. Yes, I was a fitness trainer as well for a year and half. 

But now that I'm sitting here, having managed a number of teams with folks older and younger and than me, some of the lessons I learnt during that time really stood out for me. Here are 4 big lessons I learnt while I was working part time in university:

1. Be nimble

You never really know what the job is going to entail until you actually start doing it. In high school and university, you're forced to think about the role/job/position you want without understanding it completely. Which is why many take up internships, to figure out the ideal position they want to work in. So when I started working first at The Lyceum and then at Cedar College, I learnt that I actually had to be pretty nimble and flexible. One reason was so that I could be exposed to more opportunities and gain more experience. The second reason was because had I not been nimble, I wouldn't have gotten so many opportunities there. Working at Cedar in the initial days was great. I wasn't just calling up kids to come in for their admissions interviews. I was filling in for teachers if they didn't come in one day, I was teaching non-academic courses, I was responsible for leading the admissions team at one point, I got to develop programs and also was exposed to content creation there. Had I been rigid, I would've just been pushing files and making calls day in day out. 

2. Building a routine

My classes were often scheduled for 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, which meant I had to make the most of the morning hours to make some cash. Just like many part time workers, I had a timesheet to maintain as well. 7:30 am to 1:45 pm would be my working hours (most of the time. If I wanted to make some extra dough, I'd put in the weekends and also skip classes too). Now these 2 time slots helped me build the foundation of a decent timetable. Within those time slots I had to optimise myself, make sure I was efficient and getting as much work done as I could. It also helped me recognise how my mind and body function and what are peak hours for them. Days where class would end early, I'd work out and fix that time. Each night was dedicated to at least 2 hours of focused studying (most nights it wouldn't be focused hours...). Within that routine, I tried to build in some kind of flexibility. Did it always work out as planned? No... Did it discipline me to follow a schedule? Yes!

3. Humility

Yes, humility was learnt and drilled in these days. Regardless of me working in schools or coaching people in the local community centre, each day was treated like a new day with new lessons. I knew the work I was putting in would improve and become easier. It was who I was working with at each of those times that really did make a difference. Most of my working hours went by in me trying to learn something from someone. About what they do, about their experiences, about how they got there, all of it. I was just curious. And each story got me to recognise and drill in, that at that point in time, all I had to do was put my head down and put in the work. Theres a time to be in the dirt (Garyvee reference), and you always gotta be ready to be in the dirt. 

4. Cut out the white noise

Like most people, I too would get bogged down by peoples opinions. It first started with the "bad choice of uni" comments. Then moved over to "your degree won't get you a job after graduating, you need to do your masters". Even comments like "working and studying side by side is hard, you should just study". I learned that I had to take these comments and use it as fuel. And that's exactly what happened. 3 years of university went by with average grades, got 3 job offers (one overseas) and now this where I stand. It's not about what you managed to accomplish. It's about how you did, what you learned along the way and who you've become in the process. 

In summary, working while part time throughout university may not seem like such a big feat but it definitely is something I'm proud to have done. My suggestion: stop thinking about how your grades might slip. Go out and put yourself to the test. 

Check out the audio variant of this spiel on: https://youtu.be/RfKuPfdCuyI