How do I balance school and life?
Sometimes I balance both well, and other times, not so well. Balancing school and work or work and family life can be challenging. There is usually one that takes precedence over the other and for me, school has taken a backseat to work or other commitments with not so positive results.
There have been times where I was overwhelmed by multiple commitments and did not focus on school as much as I should have. Having a job is important. Having a job while you are in school is possible but can be difficult. Having a job where you work so much that your school life suffers is counterproductive. If school is the number one priority then the time and energy you spend on work and other commitments should not interfere with your success as a student.
Unfortunately life gets in the way and some students have more than one thing to focus on. For some it might be work, for others it’s their family/relationships.
Before I started school, I made it a point to make my education my number one focus. I’ve done poorly in school in the past because I did not make school my top priority and I’ve vowed to learn from past mistakes. It can be hard changing bad school and study habits that have developed over a long time, but change is possible, if you are motivated and focused.
Although I am actively involved in my church on the weekends, my focus during the week has been school. I don’t work during the day so I am able to write assignments, and read textbooks and articles before class begins at 5:30p.m.
Some students may be able to balance school, work, and a social life very well, but I choose to focus on school first and make everything else secondary.
Outside of school I enjoy playing basketball, volunteering at my church as a youth minister and attending church on Sundays. I also enjoy singing and I’m currently learning how to play the ukulele.
After school is complete in June, I look forward to working as a community support worker and I will also look to learning more about being a leader in the church. I view my future job as a community support worker as a way to live out my faith. I also believe that my vocation as a community support worker will enable me to be a much more compassionate and humble leader in the church.
Balancing life and school is working for me right now, but I know I will be a lot busier and will have more responsibilities once I start working as a community support worker and as I plan to complete my education to be a leader in the church. I also want to be an active member of the community I live in so being active politically and socially with volunteer organizations is something I’m looking forward to in the future.
