School life can be hard to juggle. There are assignments from different classes as well as extracurricular activities. What would it be like balancing a job on top of all the school work?

Sophomore Olivia Conrad is currently employed at Papa Murphy’s where her job is to make pizzas and clean the store. The job has been described as laid back, but it still takes up a lot of time that could be used for studying or homework. To make up for the lost homework time, Conrad will wake up early or use SMART Time the next day.

Junior Cheyenne Minor also lacks time in the evening to do any school work. Minor is the assistant manager at Pancheros Mexican Grill.

“I’m the night manager, and I close at midnight every night and work seven days a week. During school there’s times where I don’t want to get up in the morning,” Minor said.

Minor will get home from work as late as 1:30 a.m., but still showers and does her homework before eventually going to bed. This results in about one hour of sleep every night.

“My body just got used to it, not sleeping a lot, staying up late, getting up early,” Minor said.

Going to work is a responsibility, meaning that a job is a priority that will sometimes come before friends.

“You can’t always go out with your friends as much as you like,” Conrad said.

Having a job will often cut into social life.

“I don’t hang out with my friends any more. I barely talk to them,” Minor said.

Some will say that it’s a lot of pressure to be accountable for both their job and school, and can be too much to handle. This can lead to the possibility of quitting. Conrad is considering leaving her job.

“There are complications between coworkers and a lack of hours that I desire,” Conrad said.

The work environment may not always be suitable for a certain individual, as such in Conrad’s case. Dealing with coworkers is a potential hassle and may negatively affect work performance.

Additionally, if the workplace doesn’t meet all of someone’s needs or give them enough hours, it may not be worth it any more. Determining when to quit can be a stressful matter.

“Stay with the job you have until you find one that’s better and is willing to adjust to your schedule and add what you request,” Conrad said.

Getting a job for the first time may be nerve wracking to certain people. It’s an additional responsibility and takes up a lot of time.

“Take it slow and not work every day. Just keep your hours at a minimum of what hours you want to work and which days,” Minor said.