How to Balance School Work and Learning a Tech Skill: 7 Proven Tips to Avoid Carryovers (The Honest Guide)
How to Balance School Work and Learning a Tech Skill: 7 Proven Tips to Avoid Carryovers (The Honest Guide)
Let’s keep it real. You are probably reading this because you feel stuck. On one hand, you see guys on Twitter (X) posting their dollar earnings and screaming “Tech is the new oil.” On the other hand, you have a terrified mother at home warning you about your CGPA and a lecturer who threatens to fail everyone in the class.
It feels like a trap. You want to learn Python or Product Design, but you also have MTH 101 assignment due tomorrow and a test on Friday.
I’ve been there. The pressure is heavy. You ask yourself how to balance school work and learning a tech skill without crashing your GP or dropping out of the tech race. It’s not easy, but it is definitely possible. I know 400-level students who are already earning in foreign currency while maintaining a Second Class Upper.
Here is how they do it, and how you can too.

1. The “1-Hour” Rule (Consistency Over Hype)
You might think you need to code for 6 hours a day to become a “badass” developer. That’s a lie. In fact, attempting that while studying for a degree is a quick way to land yourself on probation.
The brain works better with consistency, not intensity.
Instead of trying to pull an all-nighter coding session (which usually ends with you sleeping in class), commit to just one hour a day. That’s it. Whether you are learning data analysis or frontend development, one focused hour every day beats a 10-hour marathon once a week.
Apps like Coursera or Udemy allow you to learn in small chunks. If you do this every day for a semester, you’ll be miles ahead of the guy who only codes when he “feels motivated.”
2. Don’t Let “School Na Scam” Fool You
We hear it every day in the hostel. “School na scam, Bill Gates dropped out.”
Please, don’t fall for it.
Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, not a random university where the system is already fighting you. In Nigeria, your degree is your safety net. It is your Plan B. Also, many top tech companies and masters programs abroad still require that transcript.
When exams are close, pause the tech. Seriously. Your clients or your portfolio can wait two weeks. But if you get an ‘F’ in a prerequisite course, you are carrying that problem for another year.
According to admission guidelines from bodies like JAMB, the academic rigor required to get in is high; staying in requires even more focus. Give school its respect during the day, and give tech its respect in the evenings.
3. The “ASUU” & Holiday Advantage
If you attend a federal or state university, you know the drill. Strikes happen. Long holidays happen.
Most students use this time to watch movies or sleep. This is where you overtake them.
The best time to go heavy on learning a tech skill is when school is out of the picture. Use your semester breaks to do the heavy lifting—learning the complex syntax, building the big projects, or taking that intensive certification course.
When school resumes, you switch to maintenance mode. You aren’t trying to learn everything new; you are just practicing what you learned during the break.
4. Stop Watching, Start Building
There is a trap called “Tutorial Hell.” This is when you watch 50 videos on YouTube about “How to build a website,” but you cannot write a single line of code without the video playing.
It’s like “La cram, la pour.” You are memorizing, not understanding.
To balance your time, stop watching endless tutorials. Build something small.
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Learning HTML? Build a page for your department.
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Learning Graphics? Design a flyer for your fellowship or student association.
Practical work sticks faster. This means you spend less time studying the tech skill and more time mastering it.
5. Find Your Tribe on Campus
Doing this alone is lonely. It’s harder when your roommates are shouting over a football match while you are trying to debug code.
You need to find a community. Almost every major Nigerian university (UNILAG, OAU, UNILORIN, etc.) has a tech community. Look for the Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSC) or similar groups on your campus.
Being around people who are also struggling to balance lectures and coding helps. You can share shortcuts, complain about strict lecturers, and motivate each other. You can check out platforms like ALX Africa which often have local hubs or community meetups that align with student schedules.
6. Use Your Commute (and Boring Classes)
I am not telling you to ignore your lecturers. But let’s be honest, not every class requires 100% of your brainpower.
If you are stuck in a lecture where the lecturer is just reading from a 20-year-old handout, or you are sitting in a bus for 45 minutes to get to school, use that time.
Read technical articles. Listen to tech podcasts. Review your code notes.
Major news outlets like Punch Nigeria frequently highlight how digital literacy is becoming essential, but they also emphasize that time management is the key to unlocking it. Stealing these small pockets of time adds up.
7. Rest, or Your Body Will Force You
This is the one nobody likes to hear. You want to “hustle,” “grind,” and “secure the bag.”
But here is the problem: You cannot code if your brain is fried. You cannot pass exams if you are sleeping in the exam hall.
Burnout is real. If you try to do everything at 100% speed, you will crash. Sleep is not for the weak; it’s for the smart. If you are tired, close the laptop. The bug in your code will still be there in the morning, but your sanity might not be.
Final Thoughts
Balancing school and tech is a war. There will be days you want to quit the tech. There will be days you hate school. That is normal.
But imagine graduating with a 2:1 and a portfolio that lands you a job immediately after NYSC. That is the goal. It’s tough, but you’ve got this.
Start small today. Pick that one hour. And please, read for that test on Friday.