Being a full-time college student with a part-time job feels like trying to balance two full lives at once, and most days it feels impossible to do either one well. We wake up early and exhausted, rushing to make it to class on time, barely eating breakfast and already thinking about the homework we didn’t finish or the shift we have later that night. Whether we get up for work in the early mornings or stay up for late-night shifts, we are expected to smile, greet people and always push through. There’s this unspoken expectation that because we’re young, we can handle it — but sometimes we can’t. The truth is that being a student and a worker simultaneously takes an incredible emotional and physical toll, and companies need to recognize this.
Most of us work because we have to. We need to pay rent, tuition, food and gas to simply keep up with the cost of living. But the jobs we get — especially in retail or food service — don’t treat us like people who are balancing multiple responsibilities. They treat us like machines and tools that are ordered to smile and serve others through exhaustion. On top of all of this, working at some gnarly hours because we simply have to.
Take Starbucks, for example. You’ve probably heard about what’s been going on at many of their stores across the country. In the Pittsburgh area alone, three stores are closing down — East Carson Street, the North Shore and Butler. Baristas have been speaking out about unsafe conditions — being understaffed, overworked and constantly put under pressure to perform “the Starbucks experience” for customers. In addition, many stores have closed down due to the company’s estimated total of 450-500 stores being shut down without notice. This has led to many people losing their jobs or having to switch up their schedules to keep them, which is unfair. Starbucks built its brand around community and connection but burns its workers out with so many changes that uproot them from their locations and break countless connections. As college students, we’re constantly told that working while studying builds character and discipline. But it also builds stress, anxiety and burnout when there’s no balance or real support. We end up trapped in an exhausting cycle where missing a shift means losing money but taking on extra hours means falling behind in class. Overall, it is so frustrating. Employers like Target love to say they “care” about their student employees and promote a positive work culture, but if they truly valued them, they’d show it through meaningful actions. Little actions like simply recognizing our time outside of work isn’t free — it’s filled with homework, exams and many personal issues. It is impossible. …