While all the college students on TV and in the movies seem to spend most of their time attending parties or playing sports, the reality for most students is something quite different. Part-time, or even full-time, work is something that is becoming increasingly common for college students, with some trying to juggle several part-time jobs as well as their college commitments.
Given the cost of school, and its potential benefits to your career and life, it’s definitely the thing to try to prioritise when you’re studying. If you find yourself working extremely long hours, ask yourself why this is. While working helps many students pay their rent and school fees, no doubt a substantial portion of this hard-earned income goes towards ‘optional extras’—things like the new dress you just had to have, or an expensive night out. Consider whether you’re spending money on things that you don’t really need, and whether you can cut back on your expenditure—and, hopefully, your working hours.
Another thing to think about is the actual hours during the day that you spend at work and studying. I had a part-time job that started in the early afternoon, just after my classes, but I found that rather than spending the mornings studying, I would sleep in and be generally quite unproductive. However, when I switched my working hours to begin at 9am, I found that having the afternoon and evening free was very beneficial to my study habits.
Last, consider the particular type of job that you’re working. Some jobs obviously pay better than others, and some are more flexible. While the job market is pretty tough at the moment, you might be able to find something that’s closer to home, or better suited to your needs as a student. If there’s nothing else available, have a talk to your boss about rearranging your hours, or offering greater flexibility around exam times.
One last thing before I go, I have decided to just go ahead and book the appointment to get that tattoo that I had gotten when I was a teenager removed. It has been infuriating me for ages, apparently I have grown out of that whole rebellious stage now. However, I was looking on the page for tattoo removal hayward heath and I don’t actually know if it will look better afterwards, some of the photos are a little bit questionable! What do you guys think is more shoddy, a bird or a faint outline of one