The Benefits of Working While Studying

If you’re thinking of going to university but want to work as well, or if you’ve graduated and want to go back to studying part-time, know that you’re not alone. These days, more and more students are working while they pursue their studies for various reasons. Juggling between work and school can seem very stressful, especially when both endeavours require effort and time.

These days, job listings for entry-level positions often detail a few years’ work experience as a requirement. If you studied full-time, odds are that your only work experience would be your internship. That alone is usually enough for most employers, especially when supplemented with rich extracurricular involvement, but what if studying full-time just isn’t what you want?

The answer is a work-study option. UNITAR International University offers such an option, especially for SPM- and STPM-leavers and diploma holders. When you choose this option, you can earn wages as well as work experience with the university’s industry partners, all while learning from its highly qualified educators.

If you are goal-oriented and determined, you’ll definitely be able to balance working and studying. Here are some benefits of doing so.

Benefit #1: Improved time management skills

When you work while studying, you’ll need to ensure you’re on top of work deadlines as well as assignment due dates, so you would naturally learn how to prioritise and develop your time management skills.

Benefit #2: Opportunities for networking

When you’re already in the workforce, you have the prime opportunity to form connections with the industry professionals you work with. This means you will have an edge over your peers when you graduate because you’re already several steps forward in the industry. Networking is useful for nurturing your skill set, being in the know of latest trends in the industry and improve your understanding and execution of your own career development. Your connections to the industry also let you gain a richer understanding of the study material in your course.

Benefit #3: Increase knowledge and work experience

It goes without saying that you will gain work experience, but this comes with a few implied benefits. Firstly, you get to apply things you learn at university to your job and vice versa, enabling you to see how things work first-hand. This could help you gain deeper insight into the industry you are in. Even if your job is unrelated to your course, the soft skills you learn through your course and at your workplace such as communication, collaboration and adaptability will help you greatly in career advancement.

Benefit #4: Ease your financial burden

Receiving a steady income is an advantage of having a job. The money you make could help in many ways, like helping cover part of your university tuition, stationery supplies, travel expenses, accommodation and food, and enable you to start saving for the future. Look out for universities that offer financial aid or scholarships, as well as courses that make you eligible for a loan from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).

As a bonus to working and studying, for those with EPF accounts, you can make withdrawals from your second account to help with your finances.

Work while studying

Fortunately, UNITAR offers a work-study programme. Under this programme, you study three to four days a week, work on weekends and enjoy one or two days of rest.

Upon graduating, you enter the working world as a management trainee who already possesses real-world experience. This way, you will definitely be a sufficiently qualified and highly skilled candidate in the eyes of employers.

Convenience and quality

UNITAR makes working while studying as convenient as possible by offering three learning modes to suit your preference, be it traditional classroom learning, online learning or blended learning. With 11 regional centres throughout Malaysia, including the main campus in Kelana Jaya and campuses in Sabah and Sarawak, it is a neighbourhood university with highest-quality offerings.

UNITAR has more than 118 industry partners. When you enrol under the work-study option, you get the chance to work with one or more of these partners. This way, you are assured the workplace you enter has the unique UNITAR link. The university’s industry partners include Maxis, Kidzania, McDonald’s, AirAsia, Pelangi, and more. With UNITAR’s student employability rate at 91%, you know you’re in good hands when you enrol.

To improve your student experience, UNITAR provides state-of-the-art facilities and services. From scholarships to holistic teaching, it cares for all aspects of your development.

With the financial aid and scholarship options UNITAR has, in addition to PTPTN coverage, there is something for everyone. UNITAR helps Muslim students who need zakat aid to approach zakat counters. In addition, Asnaf registered with Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) are eligible for 100% zakat aid coverage. Eligible students who are not registered with LZS still qualify for zakat aid.

For students of the UNITAR main campus in Kelana Jaya, two high-end student residences are available. Both are located near the campus and the Kelana Jaya public transportation hub, and are accessible via the Damansara-Puchong Expressway, which works in your favour because it makes the commute to your workplace more convenient as well.

Not just an academic institution

UNITAR prides itself on weaving its C.A.R.E. principles – Collaborative, Adaptive, Reflective, Entrepreneurial – into every aspect of its teaching and learning processes. Each student is nurtured and developed based on these principles so they learn to be competent and contributive members of society.

UNITAR offers programmes in business, information technology, accounting, education, humanities, culinary arts and tourism, which are all accredited by the MQA (Malaysian Qualifications Agency). Click HERE to apply.