College is hard. Plain and simple, as much as it’s enjoyable and beneficial to everyone here, it’s hard anyways. But it’s not just classwork that students have to worry about, it’s life in general. Coming into college, I already had a job in high school, and I was fortunate enough to keep it throughout my years here. It’s taught me a lot about my limits and how to manage my time and stress better.
In the summer before college, I was working full-time or overtime, and I decided to take off my first week of school to adjust to everything, including moving into a dorm (which took more than a week to adjust to). The first week off was shocking because I wasn’t expecting to miss working only after a week. The newness of everything made me want to return to something comfortable, which was working. Going back to working part-time was the right decision for my academic work, but it left me feeling like I wasn’t doing enough for my job, which was a hard mindset to overcome. Over time, I reminded myself that college is a job, and I’m not responsible for working full-time at two jobs. Even three years later, I still have to limit splitting my time too much to avoid overworking myself.
As time goes on, my classes get more involved and require more time (especially this semester with four courses and three labs). This semester, I’ve had to take my exam weeks off from work (which sounds intense, but with my scheduled off days, it makes sense), and at first, I thought it was stupid to do so, but it’s helped me set aside study times. Studying with other people is helpful, and with a more flexible schedule, I’m able to do so more often. In this regard, not working as much has been good for my mental health, but in some ways, working has been good for me.
Working minimally, even if some weeks it’s just over the weekends, has been rewarding throughout the semester. I mainly work to have income throughout college so I can take care of daily expenses and put something towards my savings and investments. It also helps that I work with some of my best friends, and seeing them makes my day better (most times). Working also gives me something other than classes to focus on, which saves my mental health, especially when I’m waiting for grades to come out or a lot is going on in my courses.
Working and being a student is inherently stressful, but the experience of balancing the two has been beneficial to my time-management skills and has taught me it’s ok to put your own health before obligations.