With “hot girl summer” and Summer 2019 vibes circling around, I can’t help but think about the fact that I work full time during the week and that makes the weekends a time to just catch up on sleep. Maybe you feel the same way.

All of my friends are going out at night, headed to these parties all dressed up, and catching a movie at midnight during the week. Meanwhile, I’m fast asleep in bed getting my beauty sleep for work the next day. Without it, I’d need close to 5 cups of coffee to keep me awake at the desk.

It is hard, being 21 and wanting to hang out with friends, but thinking about the discipline and hard work that I commit myself to all those hours at work, it is worth it.

On top of the lessons that I subconsciously learn while on this wild ride, I am able to work a steady, full time job in the summer with a workplace full of people that are refreshing, uplifting, and a joy to see every day sitting next to me.

I am also able to build up my savings account and afford things that I probably couldn’t with my regular part-time work schedule, designed to maneuver around my college classes.

I like being on a productive schedule, as well and enjoy the pace that my work brings to my life. Waking up and going to bed at the same time, preparing healthy filling lunches, and actually eating my leftovers is not that bad of a deal when you think about it.

While I don’t necessarily get the “summer vacation” that everyone drools over, I was thankfully able to visit my home state a few times in trips that I consider to be mini vacations that mean so much to me. Visiting family and friends is, of course, another privilege in its own.

I enjoy working and as a broke college student, the money helps me, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about valuing the importance of a good, solid schedule and some discipline to keep you in check. I think that some college students may not be used to the full time work schedule that shocks them after graduation, in the world of working adults.

Hard work has always been something that I have known from a very young age, and I always had my heart on working hard to reach my dreams. In high school, I placed myself in the hardest classes in my school. In college, I reached for the highest stars as i completed my assignments. In work, I always gave it my all. I never saw an excuse for not working hard.

If an opportunity presents itself to you, you should never just assume that it will always be there. You should work as if the title was made for you, with all your heart and soul. Putting in 110% of your effort pays off in the end and you will be thankful, like me, that you went through what you did to get to where you are.