So far in my life, being a working student has been the busiest that I have ever been. These days, an hour of free time seems like a luxury, and if I get to bed before one in the morning I consider it a success. Many people know the struggle of balancing an internship, taking 18 credits a semester, being in a sorority, being involved in several different clubs and organizations, and balancing a social life. Being a working student means rarely having a free moment, cramming for a test during a lunch break at work, and constantly staying on schedule. if you are a working student, here are 14 struggles that you can relate to.
1. Timing is everything | If class gets out a minute or two late this throws off your day because you are going to miss the bus for work or be late to a meeting. You have to stick to a very strict schedule in order to be on time to classes and work.
2. What should you wear? | This is a question you ask yourself constantly because you need to find something that doesn't make you look extremely overdressed for class but that you can get by with wearing for work.
3. Sometimes you have to skip the gym | Between meetings and classes, it can seem impossible to cram in even a half hour at the gym. This means you are either getting up at 7 a.m. to hit the gym or you are putting it off until the next day.
4. You drink several cups of coffee a day | It's hard to work eight hours and then go to class so obviously you are going to need to pre-order your Starbucks to keep you awake during your night class.
5. Your social life is far less exciting that it used to be | When was the last time you went out? Can you even remember? As a working student, many weekends have to be used for schoolwork and unfortunately this means your social life may be a bit lacking or nonexistent. Plus, if you ever do get a free night you feel so worn out you would rather spend it watching Netflix then going to the bars.
6. You've mastered prioritization | You realize there are only so many hours in the day, and therefore you know what to prioritize when.
7. You worry that your friends will stop putting up with you | Every time you talk to your friends, you always seems to talk about how stressed and busy you are. You worry that eventually this answer will get old.
8. You spend so much money on food | How are you supposed to balance a job, campus organizations, assignments and cook? It's simply not an option and therefore you spend lots of money ordering takeout.
9. You never say no | Despite your crazy schedule, if somebody asks you at work to take on another assignment, you say yes. If your teacher is offering extra credit, you will definitely be there.
10. Your planner is everything | You live in constant fear of losing your planner because if you did you worry that your entire life would fall apart.
11. Getting sick is not an option | If you get sick, you have to miss work. If you miss work, it will take forever to catch up. If you miss class on top of missing work, well then you're really in trouble. So naturally you drink as much Emergen-C as possible whenever you feel a cold coming on.
12. You've befriended other working students | Sometimes you just need to rant to somebody who gets it. That's why you have made sure to make friends with people who are in the same boat as you are.
13. All-nighters are not unusual | Up until this year, you may have never pulled an all-nighter before. However, now you are forced to pull all-nighters once in a while to get everything done that you need to.
14. You wouldn't trade your experience as a working student for anything | Sure maybe you would love an extra few hours added to the day, or to be able to skip out on your responsibilities once in a while. However, you realize that a day in the working student's life is not a wasted one and it will majorly pay off in the future.
