Anyone who knows me can tell you I work a lot, and I mean a lot. I am a part time employee and a full time student, and I can honestly say it has been one of the most difficult trials I have experienced. I live on campus away from home and while it has been great, it came with a list of new trials and responsibilities no one could have prepared me for. Being a student in college is hard enough as it is, finding time to study and finish all the work for each of your classes, remembering due dates and test dates, finding the motivation to drag yourself to your morning class, but pile on a job and it becomes immensely more difficult. You have to become a master at schedules and planning, time management, and be able to run on even less sleep than the average college student. Some people like this are pros and make it look easy, but I will tell you why it is far from it and will give some tips on how to go about managing a lifestyle like this.
Finances
By far the most difficult aspect of my college career has circled around finances. I identify as middle class, which to me means I can afford basic amenities like food and drink, household necessities, a phone bill, and some luxuries. I try to always penny pinch however, because before I got the hang of managing my money in college I have experienced extreme lack of financial security. It seems like having a job isn’t just an option anymore, it’s becoming vital to surviving in school. It’s scary not knowing when or where your money is going to come from, and between bills, school supplies, and your own personal needs, sometimes you have to pick one over the other. In my freshman year, I couldn’t afford textbooks the first month of classes, and my parents were already struggling to pay my tuition so I couldn’t bring myself to ask them for more money. I borrowed from friends in class until I could get my own, and they were usually all very understanding because we all know the struggle. I remember the worst point was when my dad was picking me up from work and asked me if I could buy my little sister a scone from Starbucks, and even though it was only less than three dollars I wasn’t sure if I had that much in my account. I didn’t want my dad to know how low I was on money, so my heart was pounding as I swiped my card and hoped it would accept (it did thankfully).
Tips for Managing Finances
During this time I learned a few ways to help my money situation. As unfortunate as it sounds, I exclusively shopped at the dollar tree for almost all my needs. They have everything from snacks to household items, hygiene items to school supplies, even cute decorations for my dorm. I tried only spending when ABSOLUTELY necessary. Even if something I wanted was only four dollars, I had to suck it up and evaluate if it was something I undeniably needed. Those small four, five, six dollar purchases add up if you’re not careful, and it sucks when you see that those little things you could have lived without are the reason you can’t afford something you need. If you really want something though, you can budget some money to put aside every paycheck to save up for whatever it is you want. I would also eat at the dining hall whenever I could for a meal that’s included in my tuition so I wouldn’t have to pay out of pocket. The dining hall at the University of La Verne though has very specific meal times, so if those of us who work or have class during those times, or for those who don’t have a meal plan to eat there, there is another option on campus. The Leo Food Pantry is a new resource available for students with a lack of food security that will give you a box of nonperishable food free of charge, all you have to do is sign up for a box and pick it up on a distribution day, which they have every month. Sign up at https://sites.laverne.edu/chaplain/student-food-pantry/student-food-bank/
Planning Around Work
During the second semester of my freshman year, I had two jobs: one on campus and one off, and it was the most stress I have had to endure (so props to whoever is doing it now and still surviving). I was taking a full 17 units all classes that were very study heavy and I was going to school every day of the week – that was my first mistake. Because I was always working outside of class, I would have to spend all of my free time studying, that is if I even had the energy to do so. My grades were taking hits because I would turn in my work late and couldn’t go to tutoring, and my relationships were deteriorating as well because I had little to no free time and I would have to cancel plans from time to time to focus on school work. In my situation, I had put way too much on my plate than I could manage, and it was a lesson I had painfully learned. Sure, the money was good, but it was not worth the stress I endured.
Tips for Planning Around Work
So unless you’re a superhero, I recommend only working one job if you’re a full time student. It’s also a good idea if you’re a working student to carefully plan your class schedule around work. Most classes at La Verne are Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday, so if possible it might be a good idea to make your schedule fit into one of these two day plans, or if a full day of school twice a week sounds too hectic you can spread them out into three days a week, so either way you will have plenty of time for work and studying. I have come to find that working 3-4 days a week makes for a healthy balance between work and school, and you’ll still have time for relationships and free time on your days off.
Pros and Cons of Federal Work-Study
This, however, really depends on the kind of job you have and/or the kind of job you are looking for. If you’re working a high stress job that requires you to be on your feet for 8 hours, you might want to adjust based on your tolerance to a position like that. I have found that a good in-between option is an on campus Federal Work-Study job. This is an option you can select on the FAFSA application to indicate if you would be interested in work-study, and if so when you get your award information back, you will be awarded a certain dollar amount in work-study. This means that you can earn up to that dollar amount by working for the school, whether it be in the science department as a TA, in the housing department at the front desks, and other jobs of the sort. It is an especially good option if you live on campus and don’t have a means of transportation like me, because your job is always within walking distance. These jobs, however, have their pros an cons.
Pros: They are very flexible with your work schedule because they know you are a student and will be more than willing to accommodate you. If it is an office job, you can usually always find time to work on your homework during your shift, so it isn’t taking that much time away from your studies. You will only get up to 20 hours a work week, which could be a con if you are looking for more, but it is also a guarantee that work will not become overwhelming and it is usually a set schedule. Also, it could be good experience for the career that you want to get into because there are several jobs that revolve around a certain study, such as biology, education, health, and much more.
Cons: You are capped at the amount you can make depending on how much you were awarded, which could become a problem if you run out of hours, so it really depends on your boss to spread out your hours until the end of the semester. This could also be problematic because you can work up to 20 hours a week, which might be lowered depending on how much you receive in work study so that your job can keep you until the end of the semester. There is also a limited number of work study jobs on campus and most start hiring early, so the positions are very competitive.
Self Care
One of the most important things to remember, and something that my mom would tell me if I ever got too stressed about balancing work and school, is that in the end it is just a job. That isn’t to say that you should call off work for this reason, it just means that personal health comes first. This applies to school as well, because even though school is of the utmost importance when you’re in college, missing one class is not the worst thing because personal health still comes first. If school is becoming too overwhelming because of work, it is important to take a step back and ask for an extra day off or shorter hours, or whatever else you think you need in order to focus on school more and fix the balance between the two commitments. It is difficult for some because you have to decide which is more important to you, especially if you have more than one job, and also if you are worried about leaving your work shorthanded. I know my freshman year would have been much easier if I had picked between my two jobs which was more healthier and more important to me, but I was too afraid of leaving one place understaffed or disappointing one of them. The best thing to remember is that it is in the end just a job, and should never take priority over your mental or physical health.
Tips for Self Care
All of these responsibilities can be overwhelming and can burn you out to the point where you’re just going through the motions to achieve your end goal; getting paid and getting out. This can be very unhealthy and lead you to have a negative attitude and to get trapped in a cycle of unhappiness. For this reason, it is important to keep your spirits high during these times by surrounding yourself with people and things that make you happy. Friends can be your support group and can take your mind off of things, or can just be there to let you vent about the old white lady who yelled at you that day for not buttering her toast for her (if you work in the food industry like me). Surrounding yourself with people who make you happy can turn a difficult and stressful situation more tolerable and positive. This is also true for wherever you work, because you don’t want to be stressed about an upcoming midterm and go into work just to have a manager barking orders at you or co-workers contributing to that stress. I know that if I didn’t have such helpful and positive co-workers and managers, my job would be absolutely intolerable. Taking a day off just to hang out with friends, doing face masks and binge watching Netflix, or going out on a well deserved adventure doing something you love can totally recharge you from a difficult day or week.
Work and school are both two major commitments that are not easy to balance. You’ll probably wonder at some point why you are enduring hours of cramming for a test and then going into work just to get asked by yet another old lady “are you awake” when the cup you give her is too small for her liking. Working while you are in school is a major step towards independence and can allow you to save up for your future or to afford the things you want and need, but it is a huge responsibility and can be beyond taxing. I give MAJOR props to whoever else is juggling work while earning their degree. While it is difficult, it can be done and it can be done in a healthy manner when these precautions are taken into consideration.