8 Struggles All Working College Students Know Too Well | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

8 Struggles All Working College Students Know Too Well

It's not easy waking up for a 7:00 AM shift the day before an exam.

61
8 Struggles All Working College Students Know Too Well

Being a college student obviously brings a variety of obligations: an enormous amount of school-work, extracurricular activities, social interaction. However, for students who are working a job on top of everything else, these pressures often feel even more unbearable. While your friends are going out to dinner or studying at the library, you're stuck at your desk job, probably making less money than you deserve.

Thankfully, there are quite a few students who understand the struggle, as more than seventy percent of undergraduates work a job. Just because there's a lot of us, though, that doesn't make the situation any easier. There are a lot of obstacles that working college students face, whether you're working on or off campus.

1. You're Almost Always Tired

Giphy

This is a pretty common feeling among most college students, but having to work a job can sometimes steal the few, precious hours of sleep you can get.

2. You Have to Deal with Rude People on the Daily

Giphy

This could be a customer or even a fellow employee, but I find that people are usually more aggressive towards student employees. We're easy targets: young and perhaps unexperienced in the workforce, but we're actually people too.

3. Your Friends Think You Can Afford Anything

media1.giphy.com

Whenever I mention that I have a job, people assume that I'm rolling in cash. Unfortunately, minimum wage doesn't quite allow for that to become a reality. I'm still a broke college student, just like everyone else.

4. You Have to Work Bad Hours

thumbs.gfycat.com

Since you're in class during the day, you usually can only work in the mornings or at night. While your friends are sound-asleep or having fun, you're working.

5. You Have to Sneak Homework on the Job

media1.giphy.com

If most of your free time is spent working, you might not have a lot of time to complete the massive amounts of schoolwork you have to do. Especially if you have an exam coming up, you're probably using any free second on the job to whip out some flashcards.

6. You Have to Be Creative With Meals

media2.giphy.com

Coffee quickly becomes a meal replacer when you have ten minutes between the start of your shift and the end of your class. Or, you literally have to swallow a burrito whole.

7. Your Weekends Are Never Relaxing

media1.tenor.com

Instead of joining your friends who are going to parties or getting some quality de-stressing time, you're clocking in for a Saturday shift that no one else wants.

8. You Have an Excuse if You Don't Want to Go Somewhere

media1.giphy.com

Even though you're probably forced to miss a lot of fun events, you can also use this obligation to your advantage. Sorry I can't go to your one-woman adaptation of an obscure show, I have to work!

Having a job and being a student sometimes sucks, but at least you are becoming more prepared for life after college by learning about the workforce, and maybe even making some valuable connections for the future.

Plus, your iced coffee can always comfort you.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

187208
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

12970
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

456437
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

25728
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments