Most college students today are faced with the predicament of needing to work as they attend school and many often opt to work simultaneously as they attend school. Some students may work more than others for a multitude of different reasons, but they all have the common struggle of finding the right work-life balance. When attending school and keeping a job at the same time, many become stressed out and unmotivated with their schoolwork, which may lead them down the path of putting their studies to the side in favor of prioritizing their job.
We live in a society where it’s harder than ever for parents to support their children as they go off to college, let alone it even being an option. Most college students find that they have to support themselves while attending school. They realize that they have to pick the right classes that can advance their academic career, but they must also choose the amount of hours that they can feasibly work during their week. It is supremely important to stay on top of everything while achieving this sought after balance.
Many students with jobs often overload themselves with classwork and spend their nights stressed trying to finish their assignments during their only free time directly after work. While others choose to play it safe and only take a couple classes in order to feel everything out. There must be a happy medium when it comes to this predicament. College tends to be some of the most formative years of our young adult lives, and to spend it in a constant state of unease and anxiety is never the preferred outcome. As a student, being responsible means scheduling all of your affairs accordingly and staying on top of your studies regardless.
A student that has achieved this balance is COS’ very own Brynlee Taylor. Taylor is in her final semester here at COS majoring in psychology. Taylor is a prime example of the trials and errors that occur when striving for the perfect work-life balance. Over the course of her academic career she has had multiple jobs and her schedule has fluctuated accordingly. Initially, Taylor started her college career working one job five days a week and taking two classes. Taylor found that the start of her first semester wasn’t that challenging scheduling wise. However in the middle of that semester, after taking on a second job, Taylor realized that things were starting to get more difficult. Most of her time was spent at both jobs and even though she just had the two classes, as a first time college student she was suddenly feeling the workload.
Going into her next semester with just the one serving job, Taylor found it more manageable. For her next couple semesters, she was full-time at COS and worked anywhere from the usual three days to four days a week. Working on homework at night became routine. Taylor would spend her days in class and then rush over to work and spend pretty much the whole evening there, just to race home and do a couple hours of homework, before repeating it all again the next day. This was doable for a while and Taylor was succeeding in her time management. That was until she got another second job, this time another serving position at a different restaurant. Luckily for Taylor this stint didn’t last very long. Her days were completely filled with classes and work, and not only did she have to spend her slivers of free time buried in homework, she was ultimately drained. While the two jobs at school were feasible, it simply wasn’t mentally sustainable for the long run, and Taylor decided that having one job while doing her full-time studies was sufficient.
15-20 hour work weeks were more approachable for Taylor with a full-time school schedule. While working less would obviously be ideal, it just wouldn’t be realistic for an adult in our modern times. She found that this balance of work to school was perfect with still having a social life and having enough time to finish all of her work. Over the couple years that she has been at COS, Taylor has had numerous different schedules and tried plenty of different study methods. While some people may want to do all of their homework for the week on their day off or choose to simply wake up early and do it before class, there simply is no one method or schedule for everyone to find their balance. Taylor said it best when she mentioned that, “Having a set schedule is always nice,”. Taylor emphasized planning out your week ahead of time and really contemplating when to do what. Usually one’s work schedule is set a week in advance, and Taylor stresses how important it is to plan out your homework assignments around your work schedule.
Communicating with your employer is also supremely important to Taylor, as she relays her school schedule and any other reasons that she might miss work, such as tutoring, to her boss in advance. This way she won’t have to deal with unwanted surprises from work or school. She notes how as a student you must prioritize what classes you can work on for specific days. For example, you may want to plan to do your longer essays on your day off, while you may fit a discussion board assignment before going to bed. To maintain a social life while also being employed and attending school, you must think in advance.
To put it simply, the right work-life balance is unique for everyone. Some may enjoy waking up early and doing their homework, while others may enjoy staying up all night to get things done. Students differ wildly when it comes to scheduling work. While it may seem fairly easy, as in just do your work when you’re free after your job, for many, achieving this balance is easier said than done.
