It’s Monday morning. The room is pitch black and I hear my alarm ringing, knowing that it has been blaring for far too long. I tell myself I can sleep more but hear my roommate rustling at the constant disturbance of my phone's siren, and I know it's time to get up and turn it off. I sit up, remove the phone from where it has burrowed under my pillow, and before check the time before turning the alarm off. It’s 7:50 a.m. which means I have 10 minutes to get to work, a 20-minute drive away. I turn off the alarm, text my boss’ an apology saying I had a late start. I cross the room to turn on the bathroom light so I don’t dress in complete darkness. Leggings, t-shirt, sweatshirt, unseasonal Uggs, hair rushed into an elastic band, wipe the sleep from my eyes. I grab my backpack in case the baby is still asleep when I get there, and I have time to do the paper I haven’t started that’s due at 3 p.m. I reach under the bed and grab a packet of Emergen-C to dump into my water bottle because with the return of fall comes the return of the common cold, and I have to do my best to prevent myself from getting infected from the swarm of “kid germs” I’m about to face. I grab my keys and leave.
Plus or minus a few complaints, delays and circumstances, this is a fairly routine morning for me. Some days go more smoothly than others, but this falls somewhere on the spectrum as “average.” I’ll go to work, running on too little sleep and leave work on a caffeine and sugar high that I have to maintain for the rest of the day, or at least until my classes are finished around dinner time. From there, I’ll likely grab a meal, do my homework, complete the miscellaneous cleaning activity that I’m most likely behind on and get to bed as early as I can manage so the next day will be more bearable and less zombie-like.
First and foremost, I am a student and that is my priority at this point in life. While aware that school comes first, work is almost equally as important. For me, the happiness and well being of the kids I nanny is at the same level of importance as my grades, which is why I give each as much attention as I can. School and work are the two things that dominate my life most, which I accept because without work, I couldn’t be a student where I am, and without being a student where I am, I wouldn’t have the awesome position I have. Knowing that these are the most important things for me at the moment doesn’t come without difficulty, and I’m sure that that’s the same for any student in my position.
There are moments of resentfulness to your friends who complain about being overwhelmed when they have the chance to catch up on themselves and their work, while you have to devote your time to your job outside of school. Jealous frustration occurs when you see others more financially comfortable than you, despite not having to work. There's often the refute of invitations because you’re busy working or catching up on school work, knowing that it's better to miss out on an outing or event than miss an assignment or diminish a paycheck. Sometimes, having to work is almost embarrassing when I have to deny doing something because I’m saving up money or waiting for my next paycheck which will mean enough funds to participate.
Despite all this, having to work while being a student has given me an incredible sense of pride in myself. While I've received flack for being a nanny, saying that it's not an actual job, I would disagree and say that I take a significant amount of time out of my week to help provide for three amazing children. They've taught me an incredible amount of patience, understanding and an important lesson in time management. My free time from assignments and work is so much more important to me than just time between classes and opportunities to sleep in on the weekends. I use my free time more consciously to get the most out of it because I know it's somewhat rare. I know that I should take the time to go to the events and outings I've missed rather than sit and re-watch movies on Netflix.
Having a job has taught me responsibility. I’m a nanny and that seems to come with the connotation of not doing much, but as I’m looking after one to three kids, I don’t have the opportunity nor would it be appropriate for me to sit down and catch up on school work. My time with the kids is their time, not my own. I am responsible for them and their well being and that has taught me to take responsibility for myself as well. Often times, it is easier for us to identify the mistakes others make, but when your mistakes or untimeliness or laziness has a direct impact on another human, it becomes important to look inward as well. Having a job while at school has brought me an incredible amount of satisfaction because there is nothing like paying for my own clothes, food, gas, etc. and knowing that this was from my own commitment and not my parents handout.
Working is not just about the money or what you can put on your resume. It’s the experience and what you take out of that experience that creates the greatest impact. It teaches you what you're capable of and what you're not. You know the value of your time and your value as a worker. Having a job while being at school teaches you balance; it’s a balance that sometimes teeters back and forth but levels out with an incredible amount of reward.
