Going to school full-time, working part-time and starting a small business

[jadi4]

Hi All,

So...I think I may be biting off more than I can chew. I'm a full-time grad student. This fall I'll be taking 4 classes (12 hours). The issue is that I'm also a GRA, working 20 hrs/wk. To top it all off, my freelance writing business is starting to take off, which means that I'll be devoting about 20 - 30 hours/wk to it. I'm wondering if this is viable or if I should drop the assistantship. To be honest, I'm only holding onto the assistantship for the stipend and tuition waiver. I'd like to do it all, but I also know that I'll need to devote time to studying and don't want my grades to suffer as a result of less time.

Any thoughts? Anyone ever done this? If so, how did it go? Thanks.

One other consideration about the GRA position: I've only been there for three months (summer) and they want to keep me on for the fall. I feel really bad about leaving (if I do), because I know that I'll be putting them in a difficult spot. Help!

[beach_bum]

Is the free-lance work something you want to do for a career? If you are in school for planning, doing an assistantship (planning experience), I would stick with what will help you the most post-graduation. What you have now is going to be too much, your grades will suffer if you can't devote the time to your school work. The nice thing about tuition waivers is that you don't pay taxes on the 'income' (because it's part of your package) also if you are out of state the tuition waiver is much more valuable. Also, it can help provide recommendations for the job hunt. Best of Luck!