How students balance work and school

By Lucy Joyce

Editorial Assistant

Balancing both working and studying can be difficult, and there are things student employees at Crete-Monee think should be taken into account before applying for a part-time job.

Graphic courtesy of coppellstudentmedia.com

College Matchpoint says a part-time job has ten main benefits: Career exposure, responsibility, time management, work ethic, communication skills, financial literacy, networking, confidence, sense of accomplishment, and working dynamics. Students get jobs for reasons other than the benefits listed.

“I wanted to save up for Christmas, presents for my parents, my sister, and I wanted to have money to put in my savings account for college,” said senior Carlene Magnaye.

According to an article from Digit Life Insurance, “Gaining financial freedom is one of the main motives behind saving money. Money is very important to students as they have their whole lives ahead of them.”

“I knew I wanted to be doing things with my friends. I needed my own money,” explained Cydne Hudson, a senior with multiple jobs.

There are many cons to working as a student as well. According to North State Parent, some cons include spending less time sleeping, exercising, and with family and struggling to maintain friendships/participating in extracurricular activities.

“When I worked more, I would get home so tired, especially because I worked the afternoon shifts. I would get tired and just want to sleep when I got home instead of doing work,” Magnaye said. 

According to a study by Webster University, students who work making more than eight dollars an hour experience higher stress levels than students making less or none.

“[I feel] stress because I'm in multiple clubs, I have to request time off for all the clubs, and if I miss one, then I might risk getting a write-up for missing a shift,” Hoover said. 

However, Hoover also has benefited greatly from his job because of the social skills he has learned from it. Key social skills such as working with others, interacting with customers, and accepting feedback often develop while working, as explained in an article in the Indiana Capital Chronicle. 

“It taught me leadership and how to work with others really well because I work in the kitchen for Culvers,” said Hoover about his work experience.

Working as a student can create stronger relationships in your community. You can become close with colleagues and forge long-lasting friendships. Jobs that include collaboration are more likely to foster these connections between employees.

“The people that work at my job, since it's so close to the school, I've met a lot of friends and it was easier going into school,” said sophomore Aaliyah Hudson, who got her job the summer before her freshman year.

Some upperclassmen got their jobs when they were significantly younger than they are now. They admit the negative effects it caused them in the early years of high school. These students advise young students to wait, not do what they did.

“I'd say sixteen because starting my freshman year, I was going into high school. I didn't know what high school was going to be like. It was a little bit difficult; it was a challenge to adjust to,” Cydne Hudson said. 

There are different strategies that student employees at Crete-Monee utilize to guarantee all school work is completed and done well despite their lack of time compared to other students. The blog Slack suggests prioritizing the most important things on your to-do list and sticking to a schedule.

“I try not to get distracted in class so I can get as much work done in school as possible,” explained Cydne Hudson.

Time management is a critical skill in the workplace. It is essential for productivity, according to the article “Time Management in the Workplace: Strategies for Success” by Global Ties US. Student employees at Crete-Monee admit that time management is a struggle for them.

“I think my biggest struggle is definitely time management with my homework,” Cydne Hudson said.