There are a lot of things that a college student has to deal with; a heavy study workload, papers and projects, managing their health, finances and relationships — and that's not even counting extracurricular activities. When you add working as a freelancer, achieving work-life balance gets tricky. Here's what you should consider.

What does balance look like?

If you manage to learn to balance work, studies, and life in college, then you will definitely be able to manage any job plus family responsibilities that come after. It means you will have learned:

1) Finance management

Imagine working hard and pulling all-nighters just to complete a job and still going to college classes the next day. Every freelance working student who goes through that at least once (ouch) will take their hard-earned money seriously.

2) Work experience

Whether you work online or offline, there are a lot of dynamics that you can only understand with experience. For example, how to deal with customer dissatisfaction and complaints. Theoretical knowledge can only take a student so far and this is why many companies prefer to recruit candidates with work experience.

3) Networking smarts

A freelance working student who can find a work-life balance will also be able to build a professional support group more easily. When you work, you make contacts that and clientele contacts that can benefit you in life after college.

4) Time management skills

There are 24 hours in a day but very few people know how to maximize them. A freelance working student will be able to combine schoolwork and assignments, and keep both lecturers and clients happy.

5) Soft skills

A student managing college and work is bound to gather and learn communication skills, marketing skills, management skills and decision-making skills. All of these will come in handy in a professional setting later  — and can entry-level employees years to gain.

But does a college-work-life balance exist?

This is the question many freelance working students ask, because they find that either their academic, work, or social lives suffer.

But the answer is yes! Despite the different challenges, you can find a flexible freelance side hustle.