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Hearing the ringing of the bell through the classroom, I felt instant relief knowing that the long and draining school day had finally ended. That relief lasted only a minuscule moment as the reminder that I had to work after school instantly killed all the joy that I had felt.
The realization that I had to spend yet another late night working on assignments for school made me dread the following hours. Going to school and being an honors student is a struggle in itself. A major part of students struggle with adding the weight of a part-time job.
I am a sophomore with a 4.0 GPA and am currently taking two honors classes. I am also a part-time server and cashier at Spin Pizza.
On the days I work after school my shifts usually start at 4:30 p.m. I go straight to work after school, and I usually change into my uniform at Spin. Then I clock in to begin my four-hour shift. After I finish, I go home to eat something and shower before starting my homework at around 10 or 11 p.m.
Back when I started working, I never realized the struggle of having a job would bring – especially during the next school year. When school started, I had shifts in the afternoons and on weekends. I then realized my schoolwork began to pile up. I started spending countless school nights staying up until 3 a.m. to work on them.
Not only that, I would always have to choose whether to finish all my work that night, which resulted in me having to pump myself with caffeine in the morning or give up and go to bed. I almost always went with the former.
My choices would end up having an impact on my mental and physical health. I was experiencing hair loss and my under eye bags could carry milk gallons. Knowing that this was not an ideal situation, I started to only work on weekends. Though I was reluctant to do it because I knew what I made helped my family, I knew this was the right thing to do.
Working only on weekends has had its pros and cons. On the one hand, I have a better sleep schedule and my grades are better. On the other, it has caused me to distance myself from my friends since I only see them in school.
In the end, having a job while keeping up good grades is never going to be easy. All I have to keep in mind is that this will benefit me in the future. All I need is a little balance to succeed.
