Teenagers and young adults today work part-time jobs for a variety of reasons. Some work to save for college or a car, others work for the experience, and some work just to have money in their pockets. While also being full-time students, life can get very stressful, but when does balancing work and school become too much to handle in a person’s life?

Pros to having a part-time job can be to save up for an expensive payment, such as a hefty college tuition or to pay off car loans. The feeling of making your own money and not having to borrow from friends or family members can also be seen as a pro to having a part-time job. With working, also comes the experience of getting into the workforce and making relationships with managers and coworkers that can blossom into lifelong friendships.

But don’t take my word for it. Andrew Lee, a second-year student at HCC, explains what he feels are some benefits to working while also being a full-time college student.

“It helps students who don’t receive any kind of benefits and it allows [them] to get a grasp of responsibility while transitioning out of high school.” Lee explains.

Having your own hard-earned money can be a testament to how hard your willing to work, but it can be just that – hard. The stress of balancing work and school, while also trying to make time for any sort of social life or time to just unwind and relax, can be very challenging to accomplish.

Not only can time management become an issue, the stress that often comes with such a task can be detrimental to one’s mental health and overall well-being. Working long hours then having to stay up late to complete homework due at 11:59 can often times lead to lack of sleep and more stress, and sometimes even mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

“I’m a busser at Xenia and I work an average of 15 hours [per week]. It can be a strain at times, especially when it gets busy at work but overall I try to keep a healthy mentality.” Lee states.

Lee also goes to give some advice to anyone struggling to keep up with balancing school and work. “Make sure you plan ahead and try to stick to it as much as possible. Life happens and things may cause the schedule to get off track but keeping a set time frame for each activity keeps a healthy mentality.”