Photo By Charles Koh
I have had a job since my junior year of high school. I was raised to embrace hard work, and to push myself to my limits constantly. Balancing a job in high school was relatively simple, 15-20 hours a week never really impacted my education much and having the extra money was pretty great.
However, maintaining a job into college proved a little more difficult. I now work 20-30 hours a week while taking 18 credit hours a semester – exhausted is part of my personality.
Despite the exhaustion and often finishing assignments extremely close to the deadlines, I typically enjoy having a job while in school. Living a tight schedule gives a person a major sense of responsibility. Time management and motivation are constantly required.
Honestly, without a job I would probably be doing worse in school. I would not hold myself to a strict schedule or to the high standards I currently do. And, having supportive co-workers increases my motivation.
I have numerous coworkers that are also in school, so it is nice to have those that understand the working student struggle and someone to lean on. I also have many coworkers that are not in school that offer constant support and advice.
I admit, I complain often about having to work while in college, mostly because I have difficulty functioning with less than eight hours of sleep and not getting a daily nap really hurts. But, being a working student gives me a new sense of satisfaction that I have not had before. People seem slightly impressed when I inform them of my schedule and workload, I often get told to “slow down” and “take it easy,” but slowing down and taking things easy has never been my style and it definitely was not how I was raised to be.
Having a job in college is definitely not the same as high school. The money I earn is not spending money anymore since the majority of it goes to bills, and most of my free time is now consumed by work and homework. I do not always enjoy going into work after a day of classes or knowing that I have a 10 page paper to finish after my shift, but knowing the hard work I am putting in – even if others do not know about it – is an irreplaceable feeling.