Today’s students are incredibly overworked, both in class and outside of it. Classes, jobs and extracurricular activities take up the majority of an average student’s time.
With the future looming and time passing, many students don’t take the time to sit back and enjoy the process.
It’s important for us to succeed in college, because most of us want to go further and succeed in the workforce, but are we focusing too much on the destination rather than the journey?
My answer to that is yes. A thousand times yes, in fact.
A survey from HSBC banking found that nearly 85 percent of students have a paid job while enrolled in school.
According to them, students work an average of a little more than four hours a day.
A full-time work week is considered to be at least 40 hours in most places. Students are working half of that time on average.
Other than working, students are in class or studying for class.
Unfortunately, good grades aren’t the only thing employers are looking for nowadays.
Extracurricular activities, internships and community service are all key factors in standing out from the competition when job hunting.
That summer spent on the beach is starting to become a summer spent in an office running errands or filing papers, if you aren’t working to pay for school that is.
Your college years are supposed to be your best years, but you can’t enjoy them if you’re too focused on getting out of here or too focused on paying to be here.
I, myself, am an example of this. Schools always been difficult for me and I pay my tuition out of pocket.
Time management is not my best quality, so I never know if I’m doing too much or doing too little.
I’ve spent a long four years here without going home.
Over summers, I work in a restaurant at least 60 hours a week and sometimes take summer courses.
During the school year, my breaks are either spent working or studying. And when school is in session, my days are spent in or around the university.
Aside from school, I have extracurricular activities and a job when school is in session.
If during any of that I have free time, I plan for the future or look for internships.
Time for friends and social activities is pretty much nonexistent.
Working hard is something I’m not ashamed of, but I, like many of my fellow peers here, have a hard time giving myself a break to enjoy what I’m doing.
I’m not always going to be in college, so why not enjoy it? I do have to remind myself to take a moment and reflect on what I’m doing and where I’m at.
All students should do this. Take a moment out of your busy week and ask yourself how you’re doing?
Are you still enjoying what you’re doing or is it still worth it?
If you’re not answering “yes” to all those questions than take a bigger break and find out what’s wrong.
Once you get out of here and life starts, you’ll look back at these years with regret.
Let’s all make sure that doesn’t happen.
College should be fun. We’re meant to enjoy these times, be them as tough as they may.