College 101: Part Time Jobs
As October rolls around we’re all going to need some extra spending money for haunted houses and pumpkin patches. But many students aren’t sure if they should get a part-time job because they are so busy with classes. Well don’t worry students, as a full-time student who works as a bartender part time, I’m here to tell you it’s possible. Here are a few tips on how to juggle being a straight-A student and making employee of the month.
Plan
Coming from a full-time student with a job, a planner will be your best friend. Write everything down in your planner. Your class schedule, your work schedule, your homework assignments, your days off, birthdays, holidays, UK game days, the nights your favorite TV show comes on, etc. I’m serious. Having a busy schedule means you’re prone to forget something. But if you write everything down in your planner, and check it daily —or hourly— it helps you to stay organized. The more organized you are, the more easily you can juggle both school and work.
Prioritize
Everyone has different priorities and there is no right or wrong answer to the question “what’s more important to you? Work or school?” That answer sole depends on you. However, whichever one you decide is more important, put that first. If school is more important to you, make sure you don’t put your classes and homework on the back burner just to go to work. If work is more important to you, don’t schedule classes where you aren’t going to have much time to go to work. It’s all about prioritizing.
Take care of yourself
Juggling being a full-time student and part-time worker can be tough. Most days I go to class from 8 am to 3 pm just to go to work at 4 pm until 11 pm. Then I go home and do homework until it’s time to wake up again. As you can guess, I don’t get much sleep on those days let alone anything to eat. I used to think I could function just fine. I was wrong. By doing that, the quantity of work I was doing increased while the quality decreased. My grades slipped, and I wasn’t getting much done at work. Both school and work are important, but your mental and physical health trump both. Take one day out of the week to just relax. No class, no work, just you. Sleep in, order food, watch Netflix all day, take a bubble bath, read a book, or do whatever helps you relax. Self-care is the most important step to being the most efficient you, you can be.
College is fun. Working a part-time job that you love can be fun. Doing them together can be rewarding. As long as you follow these tips, you’ll be rolling in all the extra dough come time for Halloween.
