Working a job during the school year can be difficult.

Time spent working could be time dedicated to studying for class.

On top of that, having a job adds onto your overall heavy workload that University gives you.

My job may not happen on weekdays, but it still offers challenges in regards to how I balance my time.

I work at Camp Sherwin as a maintenance worker on Saturdays every week.

My hours are usually 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., which requires me to get out of bed quite early.

It is quite a lengthy drive from the campus to Camp Sherwin.

I recently lost my car, and no buses go anywhere near my workplace.

As a result, I need my family to give me a ride in the morning.

This can be quite agitating for them as they work very busy schedules.

It is especially busy during the last quarter of the year, when they have to assist in church community activities and prepare the annual German festival, Oktoberfest.

When you consider how so many other students are working through much busier schedules in their own jobs, one has to ask, why work?

The answer is simply one word, money.

Monetary gain is always portrayed in media and fiction as a shallow, self-centered motivation.

But in reality, money is a necessity in order to function in society.

No student works their job out of greed, but rather to maintain a lifestyle where they can afford their basic hobbies and maintain self-sufficiency.

Beggars can’t be choosers, as they say, and those who need money can’t necessarily get the easiest or most convenient job.

They are keenly aware that their work factors into the effort they give their schoolwork.

I would guess that most students feel the same discontent with their current jobs that I do.

I also guess that most of them want to seek out a better paying job that complements their skill sets.

Every student had that one year back in high school where they worked at McDonald’s to get paid.

Now however, that we’re in university the need to get paid goes beyond just buying the newest gaming console or what have you.

Several different financial challenges are introduced to us at this time of our lives, such as student loans, taxes, rent and paying for food daily.

We are spending more money than we ever have before, and merely saving the check your grandparents gave you for your birthday isn’t enough to keep yourself afloat.

As much as we may hate it, working any job helps secure you a future.

Even if the work seems beneath you in your current field of study, it’s still work, and all work is honorable.

Everyone who works a job here on the Mercyhurst campus shows promise as an employee, as someone who can multi-task and have experience showing honest work.

I am thankful for my current job, as it has provided me both a paycheck and experience that I can put on my resume.