Students balance work and heavy course loads

Students are notorious for having a million and one things to balance at once. Academics, extracurriculars, a social life, exercise—the list goes on and on for students at the University of San Diego. Some students even hold a job in the middle of all this craziness. It may seem like these students have a secret of their own that allows them to take on so much at once.

As upperclassmen quickly approach the looming day of entering the “real world,” many begin looking for off-campus jobs to add to their resumes and to earn a little extra spending money.

Junior Sabrina Tirador has been teaching barre classes at Fit in 60 over the past year while being a full time student.

“The hardest part for me is planning my days and making time for school because that is my main priority,” Tirador said. “Although it’s not easy, it’s definitely rewarding.”

Tirador works two days a week and a total of six hours per week. She tries to stay organized by planning out her week before it has even begun. On Sundays, Tirador fills out her planner for the upcoming week with what needs to be done and when.

“I think it’s important to prioritize what’s important to you and know you might have to make sacrifices,” Tirador said. “I have had to find someone to take my shift because school has become too much, or I have a test I really need to study for.”

Despite all the hard work that comes along with balancing the two, Tirador has a positive outlook.

“I am my biggest motivator,” Tirador said. “My main motivation is knowing that I am capable of so many things and continuing to push myself because I know I am able.”

For students who are interested in taking on a job during the school year Tirador had some parting words of advice.

“Take it easy at first,” Tirador said. “It is important to have your priorities in check before you get a job so you can always remind yourself what’s important, but also why you are pushing yourself to do more.”

Junior Khalil Suradi is a general sales manager for his family’s business, New to You Autosales.

Besides being a full-time student, Suradi works five days a week. Some of his responsibilities include writing contracts, communicating with banks, transportation, and dealing with mechanical issues.

“We are so young, we are going to have time to do everything. So I say get that experience to set you apart from everyone else right now and worry about those fun things later,” Suradi said. “I don’t have a lot of time. Time is money like my dad always says.”

Being disciplined doesn’t always come easy for Suradi. There have been plenty of times Suradi has been invited by friends to enjoy a typical college night out but had to decline.

“I went to the Olé Music Festival last weekend for a few hours, and my friends were trying to get me to go to these parties after,” Suradi said. “It sounded nice in theory—I would’ve loved to go—but I had to open the next day. You gotta weigh out the pros and cons.”

Suradi noted that the experience he is gaining through working in the car industry goes hand in hand with what he learns in class lectures.

“There [are] some things that you learn in class that you can apply to the business world, but then again there are things that you can’t really learn in the classroom,” Suradi said. “There are just some things you have to experience.”

While some students find work off-campus, others turn to on-campus opportunities, which can include work-study jobs, to gain experience and make some extra cash. On-campus jobs also tend to be more accommodating to student schedules.

Senior Ashley Joshi works as a USD campus tour guide for undergraduate admissions and as a telefunding caller. Between the two jobs, Joshi works between four to five days a week, totaling to about 10 to 12 hours per week.

With both on-campus jobs being accommodating toward students’ schedules, Joshi explained that she seemed to hit the jackpot.

“Telefunding only has hours between 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays because they account for students’ schedules, and, for tour guides, we fill in an availability schedule at the beginning of the semester, so you’ll never have tours during class,” Joshi said.

That being said, an on-campus job comes with its own set of difficulties.

“For my tour guide job, we don’t know the schedule until the week before, so I can’t commit to anything ahead of time,” Joshi said. “It makes it hard to schedule group projects and stuff.”

Although it may seem like a daunting task, working in between the chaos of being a full-time student seems to be a beneficial experience. With a great deal of organization and dedication, it is very possible to balance it all. Once you feel confident enough about your academics, you might consider filling your spare time with real world work experience.

By Taryn Beaufort, Asst. Opinion Editor