June 24, 2016 | By Angel Juarez | UC Riverside
College can be quite the experience, from dorm life, clubs and organizations, and new friends. Yet, nobody talks about the amount of work that a student has to put in in order to keep this privilege. No one talks about textbook prices. Or the cost of living on campus. Or tuition hikes. I was not as lucky as some students to receive a financial aid package that would let me sleep at night without having to worry about my next fee deadline.
In January of 2016, I decided to apply to my campus’ dining facilities in hopes of getting a job that would pay off my dues. Luckily, I was hired within the second week that winter quarter had begun. However, there was one downside: all my shifts were late-night shifts.
The school has a policy for work study jobs: a student should not work more than 15 hours a week, in order to prevent them from jeopardizing their academics. However, getting a position in dining services (at least for my campus) depends on your availability. The minimum amount of hours a dining student is supposed to work is nine hours. If your class schedule is not flexible, you most likely will not get a position. I learned that after trying to apply in the fall of 2015 with classes spread out throughout the day for every day of the week.
Anyway, my days were exhausting. I worked 12 hours a week for four nights a week, usually right after my last class. My shift would start at 9 pm and go until midnight, and I would have class early the next morning. I would come back to my dorm room tired, but I never let that discourage me. My motivation to continue working those ungodly hours were my fees and tuition, and I could not give up just because I hated my hours. I did gain some skills, such as better time management and leadership.
I will forget this as a part of my first-year experience as a college student. However, I do wish that cost was not the main reason for have to get a job as demanding as dining.
Angel Juarez is an incoming second year at UC Riverside studying Theater and Dance for queer/gender identity and performance.