Being in college, or any kind of schooling is intimidating at best. Obviously, education and the privilege of knowledge are wonderful things. But once we turn our “LinkedIn voices” off and talk about the real stressors of classes, assignments, homework, tests, social lives, networking, and professional development, we see how the entire “school” thing can get a little overwhelming. So, what happens when we throw other responsibilities into the mix, like a job? How can one person manage balance with so many varied roles in their life?  

Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here, at the Digital Corps, all our student-employees wear each of these hats. Most are full-time students with 12-18 credit hours, and they all work anywhere from 15-20 hours each week to expand their technical skills in school.  

When you have a job like this, the lines between school and work can grow mushy. You may be learning about a certain skill in class and come to work right after continuing a client project adjacent to said skill. With both tabs up on your single computer, and your class right down the hall from your office, what is stopping you from working on both, getting stressed or confused, and mixing the two? When does “school-you” end and “work-you” begin? And is this a problem to begin with? Let’s break it down.  

What is “balance?” 

Before we can talk about all the self-help tips you are surely anxiously waiting to hear, we all need to understand what this magical idea of balance really is.  

Aristotle finds balance philosophically with the golden mean:

“Aristotle’s ‘golden mean’ is his theory that excellence lies in the middle way between two extreme states: excess and deficiency,” Philosophy Break says.  

Now, it’s important to remember that Aristotle didn’t have roaming data, and his rent was paid by generational wealth. He lived a little bit differently than some of us today. However, there may be some interest in diving deeper into the golden mean.  

There is a consensus between philosophers that Aristotle knows none of us are finding the perfect middle of each of our traits and roles and perfectly executing them all of the time. Perfect isn’t human, which everyone knows too well. Instead of looking at it this way, we can look at balance through the lens of “everything is okay in moderation.” This saying is a little bit easier to digest, as well.  

With this in mind, let’s dive specifically into finding balance as a student-employee.  

How do you stay balanced wearing two (or more) hats? 

Let’s start out this section with the bitter truth: there is not one way for everyone to balance themselves. Everyone is different and different techniques work for different people. Society has been trying to figure out “balance” for over 3000 years. Aristotle gave us this definition over 2000 years ago, and here we are still looking up tips and tricks on the internet. Everyone is living life for the first time and completely figuring it out as we go. But let’s go through a method that might bring you a little closer to this so-called “balance.”  

First, we should look at our traits when it comes to school and work. Maybe you are really good at staying motivated and getting work done in one blow. Maybe it’s the complete opposite.  

Now, take some time and write down: 

• 3 things you are good at when it comes to school.  

• 3 things you are good at when it comes to work. 

• 3 things you are bad at when it comes to school.  

• 3 things you are bad at when it comes to work.  

Don’t be scared to really think about these things, talk through them with loved ones, professors, bosses, and peers. Take your time and take them seriously. These are your traits. If you want to be taken seriously, start taking yourself seriously.  

Come back when you have these traits. No seriously, come back ONLY when you have these traits.  

Do you have them?  

Now that you have these 12 traits that are on different ends of the scale, start thinking about how they have come into play in your life. Different scenarios that these traits have come out during. Think about the good stuff first. Maybe you came to the rescue during a group project, or maybe you came up with the perfect solution to fix a problem at work.  

Do you have some in mind?  

Now think about how those good traits have or could possibly become bad. Maybe you put in extra hours to finish a dreadful project at work. You may have put other people in a better situation, but what about you? You might not have been paid for this extra time, you might have lost personal development time, or even lost rest that could have been beneficial for you. And even though, in theory, working extra hard to provide for others is a good trait, there can be negative effects that you might not have thought about.  

Now, shift gears and think about how your bad traits have or could possibly be beneficial! Maybe you are super authoritative when it comes to work and from time to time can “takeover” projects. Obviously, this needs some help and it’s super important to be collaborative. But being authoritative can help get the job done during lulls, and some people do need extra push from an outside source.  

This exercise is to show you that you have all the traits inside of you to find balance in daily tasks. Even the “bad” ones can be used to your advantage. In moderation.  

“If we know we are typically at one extreme when it comes to a certain behavior, then we must drag ourselves away in the opposite direction, for by steering wide of our besetting error we shall make a middle course. This is the method adopted by carpenters to straighten warped timber.”  

To balance our time, we can use this middle-ground technique.  

How do you balance the timing? 

If you are reading this blog, you might be having some difficulties with managing your time and attention while balancing work and school. Getting lost in schoolwork while behind on projects or letting Bs slip to Cs while focusing on clients. Take some time and find some problem areas in your workload: 

• Are you letting work and school merge and get messy?  

• Are you forgetting about one piece of the puzzle entirely? 

•  Are you giving yourself enough time away from each of these parts of your life so you can be human?  

Find the true issue that is causing you to lose the balance you are seeking and find the middle ground. For example: 

Merging work and school sounds like a mess but sometimes using technical skills learned in class to help a client can be super helpful. But maybe, let’s find a path where there is still separation, so it doesn’t get so overwhelming.  

Being able to “turn off” or “forget” one part of your student-employee brain is beneficial when you need to focus on the other. Let’s find a way to control this “on/off switch.”  

Focusing on school and work is fantastic and is going to lead you far in your career and professional life. But taking time for personal development, hobbies, and a way to get away from it all is important for happiness and healthiness.  

Find your “problem area” and work on this specific piece. You probably will never reach the “peak balance” that everyone speaks of. But take your time and work piece by piece and seek content consistency.