With the working culture in American society, it’s no surprise many people, college students especially, feel burned out. The minute you turn 16 years old, for some even as young as 14, society pressures you to begin working. Whether it be the restaurant industry or stocking shelves at a supermarket, you are told to start working to make money for college, groceries, clothes, cars, presents, basically anything you can think of. Society and American culture push this hustle mentality that can damage teens and young adults more than people realize. The feeling of having to be busy or be doing something because it feels like doing nothing isn’t an option. Summers become wasted away with work, and fun adventures become harder and harder to plan with friends and family. School, classwork, friendships, and work become a juggling act.
Before we as college students know it, we’re entering the workforce for good. Our lives are so focused on money that we neglect to care for ourselves and take time for ourselves. We are so caught up in getting a big paycheck to spend on clothes or ice cream that we forget that after college, it’s only work. So that begs the question, why are we so eager to get a job and work when we have our whole life ahead of us to work? After all, once you get your degree and enter the workforce, there is no turning back; you have a full-time job and maybe even a family to support.Â
These thoughts are something that I have been pondering since my return to college for my senior year. I have 1 semester left. After the fall semester is over, I will work, shadow, and apply to PA school to do it all over again for two more years. Before returning to college, however, I was working all summer, like I have been since I turned 16. I was trying to juggle making money to pay rent, having time to see my mom, and making time to spend with my dad. Most weeks, I would work 24-36 hours while looking at most of my friends who had two jobs, and I felt like I was behind. I felt like I needed to catch up and work more because everyone else was getting ahead of me.
I spoke with my dad about these concerns, and he brought me back down to earth. All he had to say was, “You have your whole life to work, enjoy your summer while you can because soon you won’t have any summers to enjoy.” This hit me hard. I was so caught up in working that I forgot to enjoy the present. I leave you with this: don’t get so caught up in hustle culture. College flies by, so enjoy every day and especially enjoy your summer. You can continue to work and get your money up, but don’t let that distract you from enjoying the nice summer days while they last.Â