By Claire De Roin–
Many students at Morningside balance a work schedule and a class schedule. These students balance their schedule carefully, making sure classes and work shifts don’t overlap, making sure there is time for homework, making sure they will get enough sleep each night.
Balancing schedules can be stressful, but are college students spreading themselves too thin?
Most students with an 8 a.m. class complain about having to get out of bed so early. Waking up at 7 a.m. would have been sleeping in for Chris Levine, who spent his junior year working the morning newscast at a local news station. He knows all about balancing a work and class schedule. As a part-time Production Assistant at KTIV, Levine learned that getting enough sleep was a crucial part of balancing work and class schedules. His weekday shift ran from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
“With getting up at 3 a.m. to get ready and leave at 4 a.m., I planned accordingly for my sleep,” Levine explains. “I went to bed before 9 p.m. in order to get a minimum of six hours of sleep.” But did this negatively affect his school career? No, he says. “The pain of doing the early morning show was when I had a couple night classes that ended around 9 p.m.”
Now a part-time Master Control Operator with KTIV, Levine deals mainly with the audio for the station. He is also responsible for adjusting timing issues that may occur during a live program such as a sporting event or show such as the America’s Got Talent finale.
With his new position, Levine’s early morning shifts are history. He now works eleven hour shifts on Saturdays. Surprisingly, he does not regret the hours he had to work last year. “It was a blast with the people I worked with in the morning,” Levine states.
Chris Levine is living proof that even jobs with stressful hours can be managed in addition to college classes. He saw the situation as beneficial. “I have used what I learned from either KTIV or from the student media at Morningside College and applied it to the other.”
Stacie Hays, Morningside’s Career Counselor, gives some advice for balancing work and class schedules.
Hays believes that communication is key. “When you’re searching for jobs, ask if the employer will be flexible,” she offers. “Employers get frustrated when a student shows up on Monday and says that they can’t work Tuesday.” She adds that most employers will be willing to give students time off for midterms and finals as long as students ask for the time off in advance.
Is working long hours during college worth it when applying for jobs? Hays believes that sometimes, less is more. “If you’re putting in over 20 hours a week at work, think of your priorities and what’s not getting done.
In the end, employers look for a very balanced portfolio. Good grades, involvement, related jobs.” According to Hays, working long hours at a job during college but getting poor grades may make getting a job more difficult after college.
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