Reilly's Ramblings

Having a part-time job and being a full-time student at the same time makes me angry.  College students cannot do everything and balance the world while trying to get a higher education.

College students should not have to worry about trying to pass their classes while going to their part-time jobs to pay for their bills. It makes it harder for students to focus on what’s first or most important.

For most of this semester, I worked part-time at Thinker Toys, go to school full-time, taking 18 credits, and help out any way that I can for the Mass Communication Department. I worked every Tuesday and Thursday and every other weekend.

Weekends are where I can do a lot of homework to catch up or get ahead in my classes. It all worked out fine last semester but this current semester has been my worst.

I started my job at Thinker Toys on January 1st. I initially thought that this job would be straightforward and able to work very well with my school schedule.

There was just one big problem that was looming, the holiday season. The holiday season is the busiest time of year for Thinker Toys.

This time of year is where they make most of their money. The same can be said for almost to every retail store in the country.

When it came to school, this semester is the first semester that I feel like I’m falling behind and not being able to stay up-to-date on my classes and assignments. I have never felt this way before about school.

The problem started in August of 2018 when school started; it was easy to balance school and work. It stayed this way for over a month until the beginning of October.

The balancing of school and work is challenging for most college students. We, as college students, shouldn’t have to deal with the whole world being placed on our shoulders.

This feeling is familiar, and unfortunately, it will not go away for a very long time. College students need to spend their free time after class doing homework and enjoying the college experience.

From the beginning of October until now, my schedule has been mixed into a giant pot of stew. It started as a ball of confusion trying to contain it for as long as I can.

The store was getting busier, and school is for more of my time for activities outside of class. School comes first is the statement everyone has been giving me when I talk about the struggle of juggling school and work at the same time.

I finally decided to quit my job at the beginning of November. I told my bosses that I’m giving my two-week notice and they were expecting me to leave, which made telling them a lot easier.

I completed all of the days that I had left to work and my last day was November 19th. When my last day came, I didn’t have to work because I wasn’t scheduled to work that day.

When the next day came, it was a relief not to run around with my head cut off like a chicken anymore. I still have to deal with the last couple of weeks of school.

But, the great thing is that I’m not as stressed as I was earlier this semester. It will be a lot easier to finish all of the homework I have left for my five classes and pass those classes.

Being stress-free is excellent for college students because they don’t need all of this stress at such a young age. College students need to be in the now instead of the future. Time can’t turn back, so enjoy the present while you still can.