How can I upskill/prepare with a fulltime job? An excuse I hear often

Do you have a goal? (Getting that better paying job, switching fields, learning DSA etc?)

If no, then learning is a hobby. Do it passively (but hopefully often enough)

1. Waiting for the best time will get you nowhere

Don’t wait for “when I will get time”. You had time in college when you had 4 years to really focus on your foundations. That was the best time. It’s gone. Now is the 2nd best. Use it and START.

2. Creating a schedule that works best for you.

There are 24 hrs in a day, and 7 days a week. Find a consistent schedule that works for you. Extract 15-20 hours in a week for yourself. E.g 5-7am X 5 weekdays + 1 weekend = 20 hrs already. ˜1000 hrs for yourself in a year. Enough can be done ( you can even start with 30mins a day and try to stick to the habit and then gradually increase the time)

3)Making time to create that schedule.

A litmus test I use to decide my priority: “If my employer mandates me to do this, would I shift my schedule to make it work or will I decide to find another job”. If the answer is former, you value an external entity but not your own life. Get your priorities in order.

4. Setting priorities and boundaries

Everyone’s definition of success is different. But in the end, it’s YOUR life, YOUR career, YOUR happiness. It’s not your employer’s responsibility or colleagues. You have to be in the driving seat of your life. Create the environment that gets you to where you want/need to be. Learn to create boundaries, learn to say No, learn to take the risks you need, create the contingencies. Get PLANNING & START executing. Chip away the problem bit by bit, piece by piece. Make consistent (& often slow) progress. DON’T GIVE UP on the first sign of inconvenience.

Will it be easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

5. Accept occasional setbacks so you dont break down halfway.

If it was, everyone would be getting their every whim. Carving out the life you want to live is a hard challenge. You'll have to put time and effort, either now or in future. The later you get to it, the increasingly harder it gets. START NOW.