A question that most avoid..Can I work and be a student?
With the correct intentions and environment, you can be a power force in the fast food industry as a teenager. It is a common joke amongst teenagers and young adults that fast food is carried on the backs of students. What do I mean by correct intentions and environment?
The first step is to set a target, as to why you are working in the first place. Is it to get some extra money and not rely on your parents? This is noble and will begin your journey of independence. Is it to prove to your friends you are capable of being more than a student? This is tricky, but it can do more good than bad, even though it can turn a bit egotistical. Is it simply just to say you’re working? This sounds ridiculous, but it is very possible to meet someone like that, and I promise you not to feel bad for them. They waste everyone’s time, including their own. You will meet these people in minimum wage jobs 100%.
Environment-wise, as a teenager, you will either be extremely or minutely aware of a social structure at work. who talks with whom, who can joke with whom, and who to stay away from. Personally, when I became comfortable in the work place is when i realised I assimilated into the social structure. This was not school, and I was no longer simply a student – I was an employee who needed to follow a set of rules and build skills to become an efficient worker.
Keeping in mind that McDonald’s is a very intense and demanding atmosphere, it is unavoidable that you will make mistakes, since till the end of my employment, customers will surprise you. Your coworkers will be there to bond with you about that, and that could slowly become your support within the workplace. With no support and hostile management, not even money can keep you there, and you won’t understand till you go through it.
I would be anxious during the school day, thinking about how work would be afterwards. However, with the help of the schedule, I got to see if any of my favourite coworkers would be with me, or any ‘good’ employees that I knew that I could rely on. This played a role in my student worker experience, but socially, I was fine in school. Consequently, I knew social cues at work, and if I worked on the weekends, I would be fine with any social consequences at school. This sounds silly to some, but it can be important. If someone typically already prioritises their social life above their grades, it would be much harder to stomach that for work.
In all honesty, I was a pretty average student before, during and after work. I did study while I was working, enough to maintain my previous grades. This changed in university, after years of experience, I chose to fight for my effort level in education. More plainly, I fought harder to have a suitable program for more studying. It is important to mention that this was at a new job after McDonald’s, so I set my boundaries clearly. By all means, someone should do this from the beginning of their working journey. It is very possible to be a student and an employee, but there will be sacrifices in social life. If you want a social life, you will either sacrifice work or studies.
Let me be clear, sacrifice in social life does mean no social life.
august 2024
and it can even be outings with work friends!
october 2023
