It’s been a long semester but it’s almost done. The semester seemed to drag on and on, but here’s what I learned from all the bumps along the way.
It’s okay to ask for help.
The semester started out rough for me. I was working at one part-time job for 15 hours a week, and my second job was scheduling me at least 30 to 40 hours a week. I was also taking 12 credit hours worth of classes at this point. I thought I could do it, but I couldn’t. I was suffering from exhaustion and I was making mistakes at work constantly because I couldn’t focus. My boss at my first job noticed that I was making many simple mistakes in my work and pulled me aside to ask me if everything this semester was going okay. I explained to her that I’ve been so busy it’s been hard to get proper sleep. Usually, I don’t like telling people I’m not okay, but in this situation, it helped. She told me to let her know if I was going to have a busy week and ask for time off because I’m a student and it’s important to have time to rest. It made me feel so much better when I actually asked for help.
Stand up for yourself.
In many cases this semester, I had to learn how to stand up for myself. It’s hard for me, being that I’m a person who just agrees to anything because I hate confrontation. Many of these cases included work. At my second job, I dealt with a lot of unfairness, as do many people I work with. I’ve had some unprofessional managers say things to me that shouldn’t really be said to anyone you are working alongside. Let’s just say, it was pretty rude. Usually, I would brush it off but this semester I realized I need to stand up for myself because I don’t deserve to be treated rudely when I’ve worked hard. Don’t let anyone disrespect you.
Stay organized.
For the love of God, please stay organized. This was my biggest issue this semester. It’s a little different than the other things I’ve learned this semester, but it still counts. Don’t let yourself become messy and unorganized because you will just become more stressed out as I did. Organize your calendar so you don’t miss any important dates. I always put all my shifts in my calendar, along with meetings and homework due dates to remind myself. Keep your notes from every class in a separate notebook and in separate folders if needed. Don’t let yourself get too overworked and unorganized.
Know your limits.
This past semester and year I’ve tried to get involved as much as I could. I joined 4 different organizations on campus and it was great at first until I had to do that, classes, and working 2 different jobs. I figured if I pushed myself enough I could do it just fine. Which brings me back to my first point, it’s okay to ask for help and admit that you need a break. Don’t push yourself to do all these things because you want to have this amazing resume when you graduate. Do what you can to make your resume stand out how it is. You don’t need to work 2 jobs and be on e-board in every group you like to have a great resume. I joined a lot of groups thinking it would make my resume better when in reality it’s still a good resume either way. Don’t push yourself so hard because you want to be the very best. Push yourself to do your best but don’t kill yourself while you’re at it. You need a break to every now and then.