College students are being forced into exhaustion

Brea Jones/Staff Writer

College is where we go for education, not exhaustion.

Students spend about four or more years here with the goal of coming out with a clear plan for the future. One way this is encouraged is through gaining work experience.

Professors and advisors are repeatedly telling us to jump at almost any opportunity in our field through internships and small jobs.

With about a five percent increase in tuition of universities during the last 10 years, according to The College Board, students are now forced to get jobs.

It is getting harder and harder for students to make ends meet and students are left without a choice on whether to get a job or not.

Four out of five college students are working part-time, according to Huffington Post.

Being an international school, some students are not used to the intense work schedule of other students.

Enter Sasha John, an international student from Trinidad and Tobago studying Hospitality Management here at FIU.

One of the first things she noticed here at FIU was students’ work habits.

“I realized how much students work while studying in comparison to students back home,” said John. “Most people have two or more jobs while balancing school versus in the Trinidad culture were “liming” (hanging out/ relaxing) is a fundamental part of our culture while going to school.”

Looking at the surface it is indeed admirable how many students seem to be able to manage several responsibilities but, once you get a closer look you can see that having jobs that you are not passionate about can without a doubt be distracting and draining.

FIU provides countless on and off-campus job opportunities for students through careers.fiu.edu.

While these jobs are needed and appreciated, they are not excluded from the list of draining and distracting jobs.

I have personally witnessed classmates, friends, even neighbors come home exhausted every day from working several jobs, attending class, and being involved in other extracurricular activities.

Those same people are so focused on their jobs and school they neglect to take care of their basic needs. I can count on one hand how many of my friends get a full eight hours a sleep every day or how many eat a proper meal at least twice a day.

Phrases like “I haven’t had time today” are the common excuses used daily as a way to justify the neglect we put ourselves through.

We constantly tell ourselves “It’s fine. It will be worth it when I graduate,” in order to keep sane but as graduation nears, doubt may find a way to set in.

Senior Leon Dean graduates next summer and has been working multiple jobs throughout his college career.

“I had to work three jobs at once before and only one of those jobs pertained to my major” said Dean. “I really felt trapped at my first job but I couldn’t afford to sacrifice that job for a minimum wage job in my field.”

This seems like it may be a solutionless problem.

We can’t lower the cost of tuition, rent, or groceries. Magically becoming a millionaire is unfortunately not an option.

Is there a way students don’t have to work so hard just to barely be getting by each semester? If there is, I have yet to find it.


I am struggling right there with the majority of everyone else. It seems to be a roll of the dice to determine whether all the hard work was truly worth it or not.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

Photo retrieved from FIUflickr.

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