This past summer, I was hired at my first job at a coffee shop/bakery (my first “proper” job as I would continuously tell my new colleagues, cringe, I know). But joking aside, this was a big milestone for me, my previous experience only included my mandatory 2 week work experience in year 10, which I spent at an accountant’s office (definitely not for me), and a summer volunteering once a week at my local library. So, as you can tell, I was very inexperienced when it came to the world of work and put off entering it for as long as possible. In fact looking back to when my manager first hired me for my summer position, I’m surprised she even kept me on I was so terrible (and I know this is to be expected for your first job, but I really was quite bad, which I think was why I proceeded to constantly remind my colleagues this was my “first proper job” as an excuse as to why I was so sh*t).Â
Anyways, after quite a few spillages, some smashed cakes, and a few – what I like to call – milk explosions from the steamer, I finally got a hang of things and started to learn how to actually make coffees! Unfortunately, just as I got used to the work environment, my management decided it was time to leave along with a few other colleagues, and things all felt a bit chaotic again. This was when I really felt like I was propelled into the world of work as my 1-2 day a week summer job became more like 3-5 days, with an occasional 9-hour shift thrown in! And while this was quite a big adjustment, and I spent most of my free time over the summer sleeping, luckily my new manager and colleagues were all lovely, and I ended up really enjoying my new job! When the time came to go back to uni, I already knew I wanted to stay on and keep working, however this prospect presented new challenges. Now that I’ve been balancing my job alongside uni for a while, I decided to share my tips and tricks for others who may be in the same position as me, or currently looking for a part-time job alongside uni, to help make sure we all have a good work/life balance!
- Don’t take on more than you can manage!
As I said, I actually do really enjoy my job, but when it came to deciding how much I wanted to work alongside uni, I made the decision to keep my time spent at work as minimal as possible. And now I work just 1 day on the weekend. Yes, I was tempted to offer to work the whole weekend or ask to work on the weekday I didn’t have classes, but I decided it was best not to, and I’m so glad that I made this decision! Work is tiring, in fact it’s become a joke among me and my colleagues that whenever they ask me what my plans are after work, I usually just say sleeping (I am a very tired girlie okay!). Working one day on the weekend has meant I can use my other day to rest or socialise if I feel up to it and my free weekday to catch up on uni work. So the main point here is that although it’s tempting, try not to take on too much, as this will definitely help you to keep that work/life balance!
- Rest is important (and don’t feel guilty about it!)
It’s basically a given now that after every shift I will come home and take a nap. Sometimes I wonder why I struggle to socialise or make plans after work compared to my colleagues, but then I remind myself that everybody’s bodies work differently and if you feel you need rest, you shouldn’t feel bad or guilty about that! I also think it’s important to remember that going to work can also cause a completely different feeling of tiredness compared to your usual student livelihoods. Especially if this is your first job, it makes sense that your body needs time to get used to this new environment. So, carve that time out for an afternoon nap and I promise you will feel much better for it and be able to somewhat function like a human being again!
- View work as respite from uni!
Now this one might sound a bit weird, especially after I’ve just gone on about taking to time to rest but hear me out. At the end of the day, work can be a very different world from our daily uni lives and getting lost in academic papers! For me having this one day a week, where I know I get to go out, make coffees, see my colleagues, and chat with our regulars, means that I have a whole day where I pretty much don’t have to think about university at all. And on those days where I don’t feel like going to work, looking at it from this perspective often makes me feel much more positive about my workday!Â
So those are my main lessons I’ve learnt from balancing my job alongside uni, and I hope that you have found some of these helpful too! Working alongside uni can be hard, and you should be proud of yourself for achieving that and never feel guilty to take time to rest!