J is for Jobs

If only we were all born rich instead of beautiful! Unfortunately, many of us have to work if we want to stay in school. And so begins the problem.

We get a job to help pay for tuition, books, transportation to and from class, and all the extras, but jobs can start to take over our lives. It can start out slowly: The hours that manageable start to get longer. In the beginning, it's not too bad. The holidays or a special event is coming up, so the money is welcome. A few hours turn in to a few more.

From http://www.zazzle.com

Soon, it gets harder to keep up with schoolwork. A missed paper here, a poor test grade there, and the promising semester is turning into a nightmare. Maybe a semester off to regroup is in order. Soon, a semester turns in to a year, which turns in to several years. Time and money wasted, with no degree to show for it.

So what do we do? The key is getting a little defensive when it comes to our boundaries.  Remember when we discussed Goals? Your goal probably didn't involve delivering pizza for the rest of your life, but things have a way of leading us down a slippery slope. You want to pay attention and stop the slide early. Talking to your employer before the school year starts is vital. If you make your needs clear at the start, it will be easier to keep a balance between your boss's needs and yours (this goes for friends, family, and boyfriends/girlfriends/spouses, too, but we'll talk about them later).

Now, you may have an employer who is about as understanding as a brick. For such people, sympathy is only found in the dictionary. At this point, you have to make a choice: Stay or Go. If you stay, be aware that you will have little-to-no time cushion in regards to getting class assignments done. If you go, unless you have another job lined up, you may have to make cuts in your budget. Talking to financial aid is helpful here, as you may be eligible for on-campus employment. On the bright side, as bleak as the current job market is, there are signs of improvement, so while your Plan B may not be a dream job, it could provide the right mix of schedule and funds to help you stay on track to achieve your goals.