Justin Hernandez is in his first semester at Wright College with plans to complete an associate degree and certificate related to computers. He is taking two English classes this semester. He works at a hospital as a nurse technician and a nurse’s aide, and works 3 shifts a week from 3-11 p.m.
Angelika Makuch is in her first semester at Wright College. She is taking one English and one math class this semester. She works at a popular department store three to four days a week.
Aidan Perez is in his first semester at Wright College with plans to transfer after 2 years. He is taking four classes this semester: business and accounting, economics, and two English classes. He recently quit his job at O'Hare airport, where he worked for Prospect. He now works at a major retail store known for sportswear and works 30-40 hours a week.
Paula Thompson is in her first semester at Wright College with plans to transfer after 2 years. She is taking three classes this semester: art, math and English. She has been working 28 hours each week at a popular fast-food restaurant for a year and a half.
Marco Villagran is in his first semester at Wright College with plans to transfer after 2 years. He is taking four classes: two classes in English and two in math. He had worked at Panda Express, a popular fast-food chain, since high school, but quit his job.
These are just five of the many students at Wilbur Wright College who balance school and work. The Wright Times recently sat down with them to see how it was going.
How do you balance your work and school life?
Angelika: “I have good managers. They let me choose which days I can work. I work the days I don’t have classes.”
Aidan: “I was gonna manage two jobs at once, but with school it just became too much. So, what I did was quit the O’Hare job and stuck with Nike.”
Paula: “Right after class, I go straight to work but I have Tuesdays off to relax.”
If you could give any advice to someone who is also balancing school and work life, what would you say?
Angelika: “The most important part is to find jobs they like and they have a good time and enjoy so your day feels easier and faster and you're not tired.”
Aidan: “You should have time for yourself. You should make time to focus and study. Honestly you can find a better job, so if you’re stressing with school, I’d say don’t worry about your job, just quit when that time comes. You’ll find a better job.”
Paula: “Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to do everything at once. Have a balance and a day in between to have time for yourself, do your homework, do whatever you can, ’cause you can make it work. Communication is key ’cause they won’t know till you tell them."
Justin: “Let your professor know what’s going on so they understand why they’re not here or late, so they understand the certain obligations you have. Stick to it, work and school, like, isn’t easy. That’s why I’m just taking two classes right now while working. You have to evaluate what’s important right now, and in the long run. You have to weigh out and see what the end goal is. You have a better outcome to finish school and have a higher paying job.”
Marco: “If you do have to help your family and you’re working and doing school, that’s when you have to take time and figure out: How can I do good in school? How can I keep my job?"
Is your manager supportive of your work/life situation?
Paula: “Yeah. My managers and coworkers know I’m in school. For example, like, they scheduled me at 4 but my class ended at 4, so I texted my manager that I would come at 4:30 and they were totally fine with it.”
Since the holidays are coming up, is work more stressful?
Aidan: “I like being busy, so it’s funner for me. The first time I worked at Nike on a Sunday, it was busy. It does get a little stressful, but I like it that way.”
Paula: “It can be overwhelming at times, but I like being busy because it lets the time go fast and, like, you always just keep yourself busy.”
How are your classes/professors supportive of your work and life balance?
Paula: “I think it was Monday of this week I left [class] early because I work at four.”
Justin: “I try to keep my work and school days separate each other. Since work 3 to 11 p.m., I try to make the most of the first 8 hours of the day and balance schoolwork.”
Were there times when you had to leave early or not go to class at all?
Justin: “Prior to starting school, I decreased my hours because I did four days a week. Now I do three days a week and they were happy to accommodate. I haven’t really missed class since I’m paying out of pocket. You know, it’s to my benefit. I have days where I don’t want to come to class since work and school, work and school, it’s the routine right now, so it’s stressful. I pretty much show up to every class.”
Marco: “They did cut my hours [once I started the semester] which is helpful. I would call off work to do my schoolwork. But my manager didn’t really enjoy that since we were pretty low staffed. Again, that’s the manager’s problem and not mine and I told her, imma give more attention to school than to work.”
Why did you stop working?
Marco: “The environment there was stressing. I had to be fast-paced with the food and the management was terrible. It was toxic for me. Since it was fast-paced I would really panic at times with doing school and working because of the cooking. I would come home late around 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. and I would just be too tired to do work. [The day] would be school and then work.”
If you could give any advice to someone who is thinking about leaving their job to focus on school, what would you say?
Marco: “You should focus on school. It may not seem as big of a deal, you may struggle, but it’s going to be worth it in the end.
Comments