How to build a CUNY schedule around a 9 to 5 job (Baruch example)

Start with your work hours, not the course list

If you work 9 to 5, most daytime sections are off the table, so the question is which sections remain. Put your shifts in first. In ChillSemester you add your work shifts to your profile and the schedule builder treats them as hard conflicts, so it will never offer a combination that overlaps your job.

Where the sections actually are

Colleges run more than weekday mornings. Baruch's Principles of Accounting (ACC 2101) is a good example: for Spring 2027 it has a Tuesday/Thursday evening lecture (5:50 PM), a Monday/Wednesday evening lecture (7:45 PM), two Saturday lectures, a Sunday evening online-mix section and a fully online asynchronous section, alongside the daytime lectures. The Time of day filter finds evening sections and the Format filter finds online and hybrid ones. Check the current term, because sections change.

• Use the Time of day filter set to evening, and the Days filter to keep only the days you are free.
• Online asynchronous sections have no set meeting time, which makes them the easiest to fit around work, but they ask the most self-discipline.
• Saturday and Sunday sections are often long blocks, so check the start and end time against your plans.

Mind the recitation

Many courses are a lecture plus a recitation or lab, and you need one of each. A lecture that fits your work can still pair with a recitation that does not, so look at the recitation times folded under each lecture before you commit.

Keep your credits where they need to be

Working full time often means fewer credits per semester. Check your college's credit minimums for financial aid and scholarships before dropping below full time, and count how many semesters the reduced load adds.

Make a backup, because evening sections fill fast

Evening and online sections are popular with working students. Choose a second option for every course and, if the one you need is full, watch it for a seat.