Work Plus School Equals Stress

Originally published on February 15, 2007

It is 5:17 a.m., it’s dark and you’ve already smacked your alarm clock a few times. Dragging your sleep-deprived self out of bed you get ready for work. On your way to work you juggle the two most important things in your life—Starbucks and your cell phone.

At the end of the work day, you’re off to school with more Starbucks, cell phone in one hand and your books in your bag. After realizing that these items weigh you down as you make the long trek from the parking lot to your classroom, you’re better off leaving them in your car.

The life of a student is hard, especially if you’re one of the many students at Cal State East Bay who also hold a job or multiple jobs. Each day can be a mind-numbing and grueling experience. By the end of the day, the thought of opening your textbook to do the assigned reading makes you wish graduation was tomorrow.

But as each day passes, graduation does come closer. I spent four years holding down a full-time job and trying to go to school at the same time. I didn’t have the kind of job where I could do my math homework, but if I had the ability to sleep with my eyes open, I would have.

I admire the students who go through each quarter, tirelessly trying to make it to class and showing up for work. It can be challenging enough to have a demanding job or a full schedule at school, but many students manage to be a full-time employee and a full-time student while still maintaining decent grades, and that’s simply amazing.

Students who work approach school differently I find, mostly because they’re paying for it themselves. They are eager to finish so that they can advance in the working world. But there seem to be two types of working students: The kind who knows what they want and are dedicated to getting it, and the type who are here to finish what they’ve started to get it over with.

I know that if I hadn’t worked for several years in a job that I really couldn’t stand that was going down a career path that I didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t be here at school with a declared major.

My first quarter as a full-time student was the hardest. There were days where I asked myself if I really wanted a degree anyway. I realized at the five-week midway point that you feel like you’re almost there, but that is also when the tests and papers start to bundle up together. The last push to the end is almost there, it’s just that end of March seems so far away.

I know that when it comes to my last quarter, I will be proud of myself for sticking through it. For students who worked hard to get their degrees, it doesn’t matter if it took four years or 10; it should be one of your greatest achievements because you know you’ve really earned it.

Sophia is a communications major who a year ago wasn’t sure what studying journalism entailed.