Work, School, Life...Phew!

[Heather Dawn]

Hey everyone,

 

I've got a question for people in their 30s and 40s.

 

I work full time (typically about 50 hours a week, give or take) as a digital marketing account manager. Starting this fall, I'm returning to school part time (six credits a semester) to complete my degree in Advertising & Public Relations at Penn State (mostly online, but with some tests at proctored centers). In March, my (longtime, live-in) boyfriend and I are going to the U.K. for eleven days just for fun (we're VERY excited).

 

So I have a lot going on!

 

My question is this: At the start of 2015, my job started a new initiative of volunteering one night after work as a group, every other month, at a homeless shelter about 45 minutes from where I work and live. We also do quarterly celebratory dinners at very high-end restaurants in downtown Boston (about 45-60 away). And then there are the other random events that come up from time to time (i.e. TWO summer outings).

 

Once I start school, I'm going to need to reclaim some of that time; I don't want to give up any more of my personal time since work already takes up a lot of my life, and I obviously can't take time from my actual job to focus on school. Is it acceptable to beg off some of these extra-curricular activities? I've been with the company 1.5 years, and I'm very much a team player (there are only nine of us). But something will need to give, and I feel like all this after-work stuff is the least important.

[mhowe]

Yes, it is acceptable. Just let them know you have school and personal commitments that take both time and monetary priority.

[Heather Dawn]

Thanks, mhowe! I just wanted to be sure.

[El0t]

Absolutely! Any decent employer won't penalize you for being realistic about how you spend your time outside of contracted hours... in fact most will encourage you to take time to have a stable personal life so you can be more mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy to do your job while you're at work!

 

Good luck and congrats! =]

[Heather Dawn]

Absolutely! Any decent employer won't penalize you for being realistic about how you spend your time outside of contracted hours... in fact most will encourage you to take time to have a stable personal life so you can be more mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy to do your job while you're at work!

 

Good luck and congrats! =]

 

Thanks! I think they'll be reasonable about it. I just wanted to be sure that, on my end, it was OK to ask.