Can I keep my full-time job while I pursue a PhD in Psychology, and if so, for how long? I have read this question posed a lot for math and science doctoral degree, but my question pertains to pursuing a social sciences doctoral degree. I'm currently working as a Management Analyst in local government. I've decided to pursue a PhD in Psychology at a nearby university. Being accepted is a big "if", but if I were accepted, my goal would be to retain my position in government as long as possible and find ways to connect my research to social behaviors pertaining to civic engagement and public health. I'm also in my early 30s, which means I'll be doing this during the decade where most people are settling into their careers. The eventual goal is to pivot to academia, and pursue a career in lecturing and research.

My hope is that the overlap would ease the tension between holding down a relatively demanding, full time job and would benefit my research. With that said, I'm wondering if I need a reality check here? Has anyone else endeavored anything like this? How difficult is it to balance both?
I don't want to repeat the points made in other good answers.

If you want some work-life-balance, keeping the full-time job and doing a PhD at the same time is impossible. In most cases, having a consistent work-life-balance while doing a PhD alone is very hard.