The adjustment to college and being exposed to a whole new level of freedom is hard enough, but managing a job on top of the piles of homework and the shock of independence adds another huge stress to the bunch. Here are just some of the struggles all employed college students know to be true:
1. Finding time for homework
You either have to wake yourself up way before the shift and not get to sleep in, or wait until afterwards and stay up late cramming.
2. Other people saying they’re tired
Your'e sitting in class and overhear someone complaining that they’re tired and you can’t help the overwhelming urge to roll your eyes knowing that their lack of sleep can’t even come close to yours. It’s especially worse when you just got off work to come to class and this is the first thing that's heard.
3. Never actually having a day off
Whenever there's a day off you get excited, but then realize that you should use that day for homework and you never actually get to recuperate. When you purposefully ask for a day off, you feel more tired than ever afterwards.
4. The guilt of spending your own money
While friends are either throwing around their parents cash, using loan money, or their own saved summer job or birthday money, you’re just going week to week eating up all the hard-earned money you currently make.
5. Making sure you get enough sleep
You need to calculate what time you need to go to bed before an early shift. This isn't for the sake of your health, but it's so customers aren't scared away. Even when you do get a decent amount of sleep you still look like a zombie.
6. Teachers think you’re irresponsible until you tell them you have a job
“I know I look tired professor, but it’s not what you think.” Your'e not at the major party, but instead, still at work until closing time.
7. Coworkers don’t get it
Your coworkers are always saying they never see you, not realizing that you can’t work any more hours without exploding.
8. Friends don’t get it
They want you to come out, but you know that those hours of sleep are vital in staying awake in class and not snapping at a customer at work.
9. Having no social life
You always feel like you’re missing out, but if you do end up going out, you know that there’s something else you should be doing and it looms over you the entire time.
Despite all of this, we get the satisfaction of knowing that we have another level of maturity that our peers don’t have. The responsibility of time management is a big one and this experience will benefit us in the end. We’ve got this!
