You know what they say “Mo money, mo problems,” but is that always the case? Many students struggle with the task of balancing both school and having a job. Is it as hard as it seems?
Having a job while still in school can be quite a handful. Time management is something you will have to learn in order to prevent your school work and job performance from being negatively impacted.
Sophomore Oliver Block believes students can balance the conflicting duties of school and work if they can get their priorities in order.
“If you manage your time well,” Block said, “you can make it work.”
Block works at Hardings, and while he only works 20 hours a week, he still finds that he needs to set aside time to get his schoolwork done first.
“You should prioritize school over work,” said sophomore Jacob Sinclair, who works as a counter attendant at Culvers. “You only have a little time to enjoy school, while you have the rest of your life to work.”
Sinclair believes that while grades and work are important, friendships and community are just as important.
“Yeah, I like my job, but I miss a lot of the free time I used to have,” Sinclair said, “and maintaining my friendships from school is getting harder and harder to manage.”
In most cases minors can only have a total of 48 hours of school and work a week combined. Working this many hours in combination with being at school for almost half your day may have an impact on your grades. Sinclair and Block both agree that as long as you make an effort and prioritize school, you can excel in both of your duties.
However this can be hard to do if you aren’t motivated. Block said he struggled until he found motivation for school.
“I have to keep my grades up or else my parents won’t let me work, and, well, I like money,” Block said.
In most cases you will have to keep your grades up to be able to have a job. So if you’re struggling for motivation to maintain your grades, consider letting your paychecks keep you on track.