The life of a teenager can become pricey when independence means taking on more expenses. While having a part time job has the benefits of a consistent income and helping to build your resume, finding a balance with school can be stressful. Money MindEd recommends these tips to help find a balance between work, school, and free time.
Plan Ahead: Avoiding cramming for exams and projects is key to academic success and is even more important when balancing a part time job. Take advantage of your course syllabus available during the first week of school. Find exam and project dates in the syllabus and request time off well in advance.
Use A Calendar: Planning ahead and creating a balanced and organized schedule can be easily accomplished with the use of a calendar. This allows for one centralized place for your work schedule, school schedule, and deadlines in order to set aside time for schoolwork and free time without any interference.
Make A Schedule: Communicate with your manager in order to set a work schedule which functions well with your school schedule. As a student communicate that a 10-15 hour workweek is most ideal. If you determine a set work schedule with your manager early on then you can schedule study groups and study time accordingly.
Enroll In Online Courses: If offered by your school, take advantage of online courses to help balance work and school. If a course that you need to take is only offered during a time that you have work, you can enroll in the online course so that it does not interfere with your work schedule. The work for an online course can be done on your own time, before or after work.
Summer Savings: Summertime is the perfect time to work as many hours and save as much money as possible without worrying about school. Saving money during the summer will relieve the tight for money feeling and any pressure to put in more than 10–15 hours a week at work when school starts back up.
Reward Yourself: The key to balancing work and school is avoiding stress by allowing time for yourself. Arrange for weekly time to do little things that you enjoy such as watching your favorite television show or browsing the Internet. Take time to relax in order to avoid being burnt-out.
