How to Balance College Studies and IT Skill Learning

 Why Balancing College and IT Skills Matters More Than Ever

The rise of global competition, rapid technological advancements and developing job markets that require more than a degree we all seem to have grown up in a world that has changed dramatically in less than 10 years. One key reason students need to learn IT skills while in College is due to the heavy reliance on them throughout their careers. A college degree provides you with the basics - an academic base on the concepts learned in college, a disciplined and structured learning environment, options for additional area of study, etc. In contrast, contemporary employer's needs in terms of IT skills have been significantly changed over the years to the extent that someone with IT skills may not be able to utilize all of the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired to obtain a degree and create, sell and/or operate a successful career, which is where IT skills come into play: providing the on-the-job training and experience necessary to secure employment and become employable.

Time Management Strategies That Actually Work for Students

. Almost all successful college students will not spend ten hours/day learning new skills; instead, they spend approximately 1-2 hours/day consistently learning new skills, creating a permanent reservoir of knowledge. In conjunction with the development of the academic syllabus, practical skills (coding/website design, data analysis, cloud computing, etc.) can be effectively developed into an employable portfolio.

Many organizations today are looking for employees who not only excel in school academically but also possess the capability to complete work using real-time tools and environments. Although it may be difficult at first to balance your academic curriculum and practical experience, it should be achievable once the right resources are used.

Understanding which IT skills you want to develop is critical in preventing you from overwhelming yourself with all the skills you are trying to study. Many students become overwhelmed because they have attempted to study too many IT skills simultaneously. A good approach for balancing your job and your college education with the development of an IT skill is to target one specific area of interest first (which should align with your long-term goals) before proceeding on to any additional areas of study.

Choosing the Right IT Skills Without Overwhelming Yourself

You can choose from a variety of areas of IT skills to develop. Following this format can help decrease confusion and burnout. Look to beginner-friendly platforms for the learning of IT skills (e.g., Coursera, YouTube, Udemy, NPTEL, FreeCodeCamp, Great Learning, Coding Ninjas). Most platforms provide short courses written in layman's terms or have an easy-to-follow format.

Developing IT skills will not necessitate you becoming an IT expert overnight; rather, it is more like "leveling up" in your career. However, they are all working towards achieving similar goals of combining progress in an academic environment and skill-based learning via IT without being stressed about both. Here's one example of a way to use your "micro-times" wisely. 

When you have a week with multiple assignments due, adjust your focus to completing your college assignments first before transitioning back to your IT Study. This approach creates a flexible routine that provides accountability without stress or unrealistic task schedules. When you are in the exams phase of your semester, allocate approximately 80% of your study time to your college courses while continuing to allocate at least 20 minutes daily to your IT Study. 

Practical Tips to Balance Assignments, Exams & Skill Development

Many of us have experienced dramatic changes in the world we live in over the last 10 years, due in part to increasing competition on a global scale, rapid advancement of technology, and the emergence of ever-changing job markets that demand more than just a degree to succeed.

One important reason for students to learn IT skills while they are still in school is that they will rely heavily on them throughout their careers. A College Degree gives you a foundation of knowledge and understanding of concepts you learned while in College, as well as a structured and disciplined setting in which to learn and add on additional areas of study if desired.

On the other hand, what employers are looking for today when hiring individuals who have the ability to be successful in their job is significantly different than it was in the past, and because of this, an individual who has the technical knowledge of IT skills may, in fact, not be able to use the entire set of knowledge, skills and abilities that they received from earning a college degree in order to build, market and/or run a successful career. Therefore, individuals with IT Skills are provided the ability to receive the proper training and experience to be hired into jobs and become employable. Students believe they cannot learn IT Skills along with their degree program requirements, study for exams, attend to other responsibilities, etc.

Building a Strong Portfolio and Career Plan Before Graduation

However, the ability to learn how to properly manage your time, to set achievable goals, and to plan and implement your plan of action based on your ability to effectively manage your time will assist you significantly in your quest to become successful and employable in today's job market.

Even though developing IT skills is a vital part of your college education, you must also utilise the skills you have developed while you are still in college. Your portfolio will not only record everything you learned in school but will also display what you can produce using your skills. In addition to this, the contents of your portfolio are not solely theoretical knowledge; you should also develop small projects, even if you only have a basic understanding of how to code your projects. As a developer, create simple websites and/or apps/tools using your coding skills. In the case of data farmers, create dashboards and Excel projects, and carry out simple analyses and/or develop simple analysis techniques. As a designer, demonstrate your work by uploading your UI/UX samples, wireframes, and/or Figma files. Digital marketers can demonstrate their campaigns by providing proof of their campaign ideas, their SEO projects, and their social media campaign ideas. By working on these types of projects, you provide potential employers with confirmation that you possess hands-on experience in working with the skills you learned.