>Being in college is hard enough, but being in college and working a part-time (sometimes even a full-time) job can be seriously overwhelming. I have personally been working a part-time job and going to school simultaneously since I was a 16-year old in high school. Now, I am a 22 year old in college and my days as a working college student are numbered. Looking back on my experience, here are 8 experiences that make me believe that I have definitely been a working college student for far too long:
1. Most of your friends in town or at the university are from work. This is your squad. These are the people that you see just about everytime you are not in class, and even if you don’t like them you can at least bond about how tired you are.
2. You realize that your resume is full of endless part time jobs or internships…and is a little short on fun clubs and organizations. You had to focus on making it through college without being swallowed up in debt, so you completely forgot that part of college is being involved in other activities that are actually related to your future career. Or, if you are a magical college student unicorn and you are able to work and be involved at school at the same time, you find yourself wondering what free time is.
3. You fantasize about what it would be like to just do something without planning it a week in advance. Going out on dates and having girl's/guy's night out is not something you can do at a moment's notice.
4. Your friends and family often ask you why you don’t just quit your job and focus on school. They may not ask directly, but they might mention the fact that you seem strained at times and often rant about frustrations.
5. You are extremely efficient. A really handy part of being a working college student is that you can incorporate the skills you learn at work into your studies. For example, learning to zig-zag around tables in a restaurant guarantees that you can spot a computer in the library and hop over there right before someone else can get to it.
6. You also know how to manage your time really well. Okay, let's be real.
7. Most of your diet consists of food from your work place...and kitchen mistakes for economic reasons. Obviously this mostly applies to you if you are a waitress, although heinous late nights at the retail store call for less-than-gourmet trips to the adjacent late night drive-thru.
8. Getting that paycheck is the highlight in that entire two week span of your life. And you realize that, even though you're tired, you are doing this for a reason. Plus you're stinkin' rich!
