How I Managed Graduate School as a Full-Time Firefighter

5 lessons for balancing coursework with the demands of the job

In June, I successfully defended my final report, completing my four-year journey toward a master of science in environmental sciences. If you had asked me five years ago if it was possible to earn a graduate degree while working as a full-time firefighter, I would have laughed and answered emphatically, “No.” However, after going through the process, I learned it’s not only possible, but probable. That’s why I decided to share how I managed graduate school while working full-time as a firefighter.

Lesson No. 1: Email professors early about your varied work schedule

Graduate school is stressful without the added pressure of being a full-time firefighter. That burden can increase when you factor in a varying work schedule and the risk of injury on the job.

One way to manage the uncertainty of balancing work and school is to let your professor know about your situation early. As soon as you receive your professor’s name, look them up and email them. It’s also good practice to copy their teaching assistants (TAs) on the email.

When writing to the professor, you don’t need to go into a long summary of your job.

Simply let them know you have a varying work schedule and may face mandated overtime or other on-call situations. You’re already doing something many students don’t do but should: letting the professor know about your circumstances before they become an issue.

In my experience, professors appreciate students more when they let them know about work-school scheduling conflicts. I learned that professors understand that many graduate students have responsibilities outside the classroom. Things become more complicated when students wait until the last minute to raise these issues. Additionally, by informing the instructor early, you have one less thing to worry about during your studies.

Lesson No. 2: Stay ahead, review fundamentals, and ask for help

Even if your professor is understanding and gives you a break on deadlines, I found it best to stay ahead of assignments and readings. Graduate school is no joke when it comes to coursework. Moreover, professors often expect you to understand much of the foundational material. For me, that was a bit difficult.

I chose a graduate degree very different from what I studied in undergrad and from my professional career. That meant I had to learn not only the graduate-level material but also the foundational concepts. To accomplish this, I took an undergraduate course.

Additionally, if I had any misunderstandings or started to feel lost, I made sure to contact the professor and TAs with my questions. I also scheduled office hours whenever possible. I even found some professors gave students a chance to revise assignments when they handed them in early.

Through this experience, I learned it’s important to remember that many instructors want to see you succeed. By asking the professors for help, you’re giving them a chance to achieve that goal. By staying ahead of coursework and brushing up on foundational concepts, you’ll also be better prepared to understand new material.

Lesson No. 3: Use downtime at the firehouse to study

Time management is crucial when it comes to attending graduate school and working as a full-time firefighter. Even in a busy place like New York City, there were some tours where I had downtime. I would usually head to the study room to review concepts, read scholarly articles, or complete assignments. Even on relocation, I would find spaces to work.

However, there were some tours that were not conducive to doing graduate work. Tours where we were out the door every hour. Where meals were cold before the first bite. Where it seemed we never stopped running until the next crew finally arrived. Luckily, those kinds of days didn’t occur every tour. When I could, I used what downtime I had to get into the books and study.

Lesson No. 4: Take breaks

Being an overachiever, I had to learn it’s OK to take breaks from graduate work. With the added pressure of assignment deadlines and trying to maintain work-life balance, graduate school as a full-time firefighter often felt like a Sisyphean task. It seemed like once I completed one paper, the next one was already due. However, by never stopping, I also risked poor quality.

I remember a time when I was taking notes on a scholarly article. It took me a while to understand all the jargon involved in environmental science. Still, I kept scribbling and reading into the wee hours of the night. Eventually, I closed my laptop and headed to bed. The next day, I looked over my notes and realized half of what I jotted down was either incorrect or incoherent. I had to start over.

The next time, I decided not to pull a never-ending shift reading. Instead, I took breaks. I read for 30 minutes, then allowed myself to do nothing associated with schoolwork for five to 10 minutes. Even that was flexible. If I found myself losing focus before the 30 minutes were up, I took another break. And if I began to feel tired, I rested rather than push through and produce poor-quality work. I never tried to work on the same assignment for more than 2-3 hours in the same day. Sometimes I broke that rule.

There were assignments that took me a couple of days to complete because they were just that dense. I let this question guide me: “How do you eat a whole elephant?” The answer is, you do it one bite at a time. And as with any meal, some breaks between bites are necessary.

Lesson No. 5: Stay active

Graduate school meant I spent a lot more time sitting than usual. I often found myself inside studying or typing a paper on days when I would rather be on my bike, on a hike, or at the gym. All that inactivity took a toll.

As with time management and taking breaks, I had to find ways to stay active. I started by using those five to 10 minutes to get outside. I would walk around the neighborhood or go on a quick run. When I shut down schoolwork for the day, I made sure I either got on my bike or took a trip to the gym. Some days I tried to hit the gym before doing schoolwork, though those days were few and far between. Eventually, I found that staying active was not just a way to counteract sitting; it also sharpened my thinking.

I often felt that sitting for too long stifled my ideas. It was like my mind became a still pond full of algae, algae that choked any new ideas from sprouting up and soaking the midday sun. When I got moving, I found my mind flowed like a river, the thoughts and concepts became easier to follow, and I was able to get through many of my assignments.

I even began bringing a small notebook to the gym or using my phone’s notes app to record any insights. You’d be surprised what a few curls or a quick run can do to clear away the muck and connect your thoughts to a concept that once seemed out of reach.

Recess Time

These are just a few lessons I learned while attending graduate school as a full-time firefighter. I hope they help you or someone you know who is considering pursuing a graduate degree, diploma, certification or other course while working full-time.

In any case, I’m sure you’ll find your own ways of getting through your educational journey, just as I did. It’s my hope you won’t let the job be the reason you decide not to pursue a graduate or any other degree. As author, salesperson, and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”