We all have stressors in our life that make it feel harder to breathe and can negatively affect how we carry ourselves. This especially applies to people who are balancing school, work and personal life at once; all of it requires a person to be able to multitask. 

It isn’t impossible to balance all these things at once, but not everyone’s the same, and some people would prefer not to take the challenge of focusing on multiple things at once.

Many people look down on people who just work or people who just go to school. But everyone has their own goals in life and priorities are different for everyone. 

I grew up in a household where both going to school and saving money for the future is very valued, so I made the decision to uphold those values by going to school and also working a job as well.

There are times that I want to take some time off of school for the sake of my mental health, but I am afraid I will fall behind in both my family’s eyes and society’s eyes. 

 Having a healthy social life is important because it can be a sort of escape for people and relieve them of stress that is built when dwelling on school and work.  

On the rare occasion that I am not busy with work or school, I allot time to hang out with my friends and it almost feels like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. 

It’s been harder for me to socialize with my friends because my schedule is always busy with work or school, and when I am free, I don’t have enough money to even sometimes pay for a meal when I go out because the money goes to other priorities like gas or groceries. 

Self-care is also important. Things like practicing better hygiene, eating healthier foods and having a set sleep schedule are important to staying healthy. People who have to balance work and school may not be able to focus on taking care of themselves as much because they are occupied focusing on school and work.

Another big issue with balancing school and work is that many sacrifices are made such as time, sleep, eating and more. There have been times where I skip a good night’s sleep or a good meal because I am too focused on getting ready to submit a paper.

Some people may think, why don’t people just focus on one priority? Unfortunately, that isn’t an option for some people.

Not everyone has the privilege of receiving financial help from their parents and some don’t qualify for financial aid or scholarships. Some people actually have to earn their own money to pay to stay in school. 

Many students, like me, work minimum wage jobs part-time, and the pay just isn’t enough to pay for college tuition without having to sacrifice paying for groceries, gas, bills, necessities and more.

As a student, it’s hard to find better job opportunities that pay a good wage. Many employers who pay well expect workers to have experience, but students are in school to gain that so-called experience, therefore many students have to stick with jobs that don’t pay well.

Working part-time can be easier for many students since they also need time to complete their studies and schoolwork. 

I know that I am at my full potential, and can perform better, if I work part-time because I know that I have more time to complete school assignments and not feel so rushed to just turn anything in.  

Although working part-time is more time-friendly for students, unfortunately, it also means fewer hours and less money, making it even more impossible for students to pay for tuition themselves.