No one likes to be broke, so what do you do when you’re a broke college student? You get a part-time job. It’s great, you can often get a lot of flexibility, you give your availability, you work a few hours a week, and you make some spending money to grab food with your friends on the weekends.
Except that if you don’t set boundaries early on, you’ll find yourself working 39 hours a week, closing until midnight every night, working an 8 hour shift before your final, coming in early and leaving late every shift, and exhausted at the end of every day, every week, all semester.
So how do you make sure you don’t do that?
- Be realistic.
How many hours a week can you work while still going to classes, doing homework, eating, sleeping, hanging out with your friends, etc. Many jobs ask for an availability and sometimes the wording makes it feel like you need to put in every hour you’re available. You think “Well I told my manager I want to work 10-15 hours a week so even if I put in 20 hours available I won’t get more than 15.” Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and if they feel they need you a manager might use all of your availability. Many times you need to think to yourself instead “Could I work every hour of my availability and still be okay?”
1. Be honest.
If you feel like you’re biting off more than you can chew and need to take on less hours, or you need to close 2 nights a week instead of 3, tell your managers that. Many times they’ll be understanding but they don’t know to give you something you’re not asking for.
2. Say no.
It can be really difficult to say no when your manager asks you to stay a few minutes to finish a task, or until the next person can come in. It can be difficult to say no to the coworker who really needs a cover and you’re their last hope, but you need to put yourself first. If you know you’re going to go home and take a slightly undeserved nap then pick up the extra hours, but if that half hour was the one half hour you had that day to eat or study, say no.
3. Ask for help.
Speaking of covers, don’t be afraid to ask for one. No one likes the girl who once a week asks them to cover her shift, but if you feel really swamped and everything hit you after the schedule hit timesheets, ask someone to cover a shift for you! Many times people are looking for hours and won’t mind taking a shift if they can.
4. Remember the PART in part-time.
Sometimes our managers forget that our part-time job is just that, we’re not getting insurance, benefits, and 95% of the time we’re not even getting more than minimum wage. Though it may look to them like we’re giving 50% instead of 100, sometimes that 50% is all you have left with everything else going on and that’s okay.
5. Don’t be scared to quit.
If you find that you don’t really need the money and it’s a little more stress than it’s worth, give it up. You applied for the job and as long as you are open and honest (and tell them 2 weeks in advance) you can also tell your managers when it’s time to call it quits. This is also a good opportunity to bring up something that may help them keep you (i.e. I know we’re supposed to work every weekend but I don’t need to quit if I can work every other.)