The summer sun beamed in through my window, warming my face as it crept in through a crack. Then the dreadful sound went off, once again informing me that sleeping in during my summer break was not an option.
This summer was one of the best and worst summers of my life, teaching me about the adult world through many trials, long work hours, hardly any sleep and the accumulation of far too many bills.
While I have worked two jobs simultaneously before, those “long” hours were nothing compared to what I experienced this summer.
I was fortunate to land my first internship in the heart of Hollywood, where I would work for experience free of charge three days a week and maintain my managerial job for the remaining portion of the week.
On top of that, I was enrolled in nine units of online summer college courses.
Needless to say, I lost track of my sanity and simply fell apart.
While I thought I lost my mind for a few months, balancing my life in Moreno Valley, countless miles driven and 60-hour work weeks, I learned more than I could have ever possibly imagined about myself.
No one wants to work for free, but as a college student, an internship is crucial for your life post-graduation.
Oftentimes, students are working to produce some kind of income to finance their living situation or pocket some extra spending money while in college.
Sometimes, college students have no choice but to maintain a job throughout all of college. Then comes the challenge of keeping that job and also acquiring that unpaid internship.
Then comes the next question: How do you balance being a student, working part-time and having an internship?
While being a student and maintaining a job plays an important part of your time and energy, an internship becomes your driving force, preparing you for the world after you receive that diploma.
This internship is what is going to spruce up that resume and place you higher in the rank among your competitors applying for that exact same job. If you are a hard worker, and a good fit, that company may even hire you afterward.
Time management plays a key role in these situations, and figuring out where your priorities lie is a way to determine how you will do so.
Being able to understand that while life may be stressful, you may not have time to go out as much as you would like or sleep as much as you normally would, a strong work ethic and some real-world experience will pay off.
Not only will it pay off, but down the road it will allow you to experience those things.
Knowing how much you can handle and preparing yourself for what you have taken on prior to actually beginning is a sure way to balance your upcoming life. Know your limits, and know when too much is just too much.
Most of us do not have the luxury to take on a job or the internship at one time, and if you do, you are one of the fortunate few.
If you are like the vast majority, taking a deep breath and prioritizing while staying ahead of your next move is crucial for your survival.
