College can be a huge pain. Between keeping up with online classes and writing five page papers, college can be rather stressful. Sometimes you may feel like screaming or crying or punching a wall. Trust me, we have all been there. However, first semester Lauren was hoping she would never be there.

I spent my first semester taking some easier general education classes and not working a job so I could focus on school. I thought I had everything together. But I blew through my savings because I no longer lived with my responsible parents to help me with my spending. So second semester came and I realized it would probably be smart to get a job.

Except, the overachiever inside of me decided to also take five classes and tack on an unpaid internship. So, yes, when it comes to getting stressed, I have been there. I still haven’t learned to stop spreading myself too thin, but I have learned how to balance my schoolwork with my jobs.

Time management is a big part of it, but is very hard to master. The true secret to juggling school and work is to find a job you love. I’m sure everyone has heard this before but I’m going to say it one more time for the people in the back: find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. I’m hoping everyone can look past the cheesiness in that statement and realize how true it is. I love my job and my internship so much that I sometimes forget that they are my jobs. One of them allows me to explore my passion of teaching as a tutor, and the other helps me grow in my relationship with God as an intern for CCW. Yes, it is possible to balance work and school, but it is so much easier when you love your job.

I’m hoping that any freshman reading this can discover a job they love to help ease their stress as they try to navigate through college. There is no pressure to get a job so do not let others tear you down if you do not have one. But I pray that if you get one that it does not give you stress but it instead gives you what you need to make it through these next few years. We can all make it through together.

-Lauren