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Juggling school and work can be a hard task for any student. With the start of the fall
semester and the delay of some students’ financial aid, we can see how students are
dealing with the school and work-life balance.
Practicing time management is very important for students who decide to do both work
and school. Other students recommend that those who decide to take this path should
equally focus on self-care, create a flexible schedule with their employer, and hold
themselves accountable.
Third-year public relations student, Stephanie Pierre, who is currently juggling both,
shares how she deals with working part time and doing school full time. Working at
Xfinity, Pierre enjoys how the company is able to adjust to her schedule.
“Though it gets hectic, Xfinity is a company that fully works around my schedule. They
understand the importance of school and how it should be your number one priority,”
Pierre said.
Pierre works part-time because she cannot fully depend on her financial aid to fulfill her
responsibilities. She has to pay for school expenses, rent, groceries and any other
extracurricular activities.
Along with Pierre, third year broadcast journalism student, Kyndall Coleman, shared his
experience with the two. Coleman used to work at Mister Carwash and described how
he spent most of his time at work.
A strategy that he used to juggle both work and school was to start his school work
early.
“I would get most of my homework done on Monday and Tuesday, which would give me
free time for the rest of the week,” Coleman said.
When he was working and doing school full time, Coleman described how he had a
hard time juggling both during finals. He felt as though work took up most of his time
and struggled finding time to study. He also shared how he missed out on having a
social life during this time because he had to constantly work.
Feeling the same, fourth-year business student, Manoshka Germain, shared how she
missed out on many social activities. Though she enjoyed the financial freedom that
came with it, Germain said that she would miss out on a lot of school events because of
it.
Working part time with Truelieve, Germain found it easier to work when her employers
were flexible. Though she found it overwhelming at times, Germain wouldn’t mind doing
it again.
“My work-life balance was relatively moderate only because during some of the weeks,
the workload wasn’t as hectic as others,” Germain said.
To help keep students balanced, coordinator of clinical programs and certified QPR
instructor for Florida A&M University’s counseling services, Alicia Jackson, shared how
she thinks students should juggle school and work.
In order to find a balance with both, Jackson recommends that students use time
management, practice different relaxation methods like yoga and meditation, set
boundaries, keep a good budget, eat healthy, get more sleep and try to exercise as well.
“If your body tells you to stop, or it cannot continue any further, listen to it, and take a
day off,” Jackson said.
She also mentioned how there are other resources offered to students, such as the
FAMU Foundation’s scholarships, the Student Health Services food pantry, and services
offered by the FAMU counseling center.