Work, school, play

Rian Jeffers, a junior E-bio major at CU, poses for a photo illustration. "You have to develop time management skills... It's like the workings of a play. You have all your actors and stage directors. You just have to get them to work harmoniously together," he said. (CU Independent illustration/Adam Milner)

Some CU students are juggling busy schedules this semester that include not only their course loads but also hours dedicated to working outside of school.

Before Randy Peterson worked on the Hill, he worked for two other companies that couldn’t afford to pay him. Peterson, a senior psychology major, said that with another pricey school year ahead he knew he would have to find a job elsewhere.

He found a job at Which Wich? in order to pay for rent and textbooks, and said he found himself satisfied—for the most part—with his state of employment.

He has, however, encountered one drawback to working while attending school.

“I should definitely be at home doing homework right now,” Peterson said. “And that sucks.”

Peterson’s challenges with balancing work and school are not uncommon. Although many students have been hard-pressed to find a job this fall, those who are employed face the daunting task of dividing their time between school, work and play.

Susan Youtz, associate director of the Office of Financial Aid, works with students in work-study and on-campus employment.  Youtz said that part-time work can often benefit students in their academic performance, but that there are some negative aspects to working and attending school simultaneously.

“There is a point when it becomes detrimental,” Youtz said. “There’s a range of working between 10 to 20 hours per week when work has a positive effect, but beyond that it begins to have a negative effect.”

A look at students working on the Hill reflects a number of different experiences.

“I work 20 to 25 hours per week,” said Zac Riera, a 19-year-old open option sophomore who works at Rush. “I haven’t done much homework yet . . . I get real tired between work and class, and when I get home my friends are all doing stuff but I’m just too tired.”

Other CU students, however, say their schedules have benefited from having to find a balance between school, work and play.

Robert Wallace, a 21-year-old junior English major, said his experience working at Glacier has been helpful in learning how to manage his time.

“In the long run, it helps me because I am forced to stay organized. I learn how to break up my time to do everything,” Wallace said.

Wallace pointed to a calendar used at Glacier to help schedule the employees there.

“What I do is use a big calendar like this, and I write down everything I need to do for work and school. My friends kind of laugh at me, but I know when I can and can’t go out,” Wallace said.

For Angela Figueroa, a 21-year-old sophomore sociology major, working at Meow Meow is not stressful at all.

“It’s easy because I can do homework here,” Figueroa said. “It’s a laid-back environment, but I definitely still have to work around my schedule.”

She said her employment has led her to become better organized in every part of her life.

“The busier you keep yourself, the more you have to prioritize,” Figueroa said.

Anne McWhirter, a sophomore anthropology major, is a part-time employee at Cheba Hut. McWhirter said that managing work and homework definitely presents a challenge, but that she almost never stresses out.

“I just sleep, really. When I get tired or frustrated, I just take a two-hour nap, and then I can actually do a paper,” McWhirter said.

She added that rest is key, especially when factoring in the social aspect.

“Like last night. I just went out for two hours. I got my socializing in so I don’t feel guilty about going home,” McWhirter said.

In the current economic downturn, however, finding job is not always easy.

According to Riera and McWhirter, locations such as Cheba Hut and Rush get about three people in every day asking for an application. Wallace said that at Glacier it is more like five to 10.

Employees of the Hill agreed that there is one benefit to working that keeps students coming in for those applications.

Balanced or not, Peterson said, “I just do it for the money.”

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Romano at Analisa.romano@colorado.edu.