It’s common for college students to work while in being in school, but it’s also common for  students to have their first job while in college. Throughout my time here at Central, I have always been accustomed to working while going to school.

I had my first job when I was 13 years old working in agriculture every summer for five years leading up until the day I left for CWU. My main motive for working was  learning to have a strong work ethic from a young age, as well as saving money for college.

When I got to here, my mom was hesitant about me having a job immediately  because she told me that university was going to be way different than high school.  I told her that I would be able to handle it because I wanted to be able make money to be able to go to concerts.

I worked off campus in retail because I wanted a change in scenery and I didn’t want to work in the food industry. I loved my job at first, but shortly after a new manager replaced the my manager, things began to spiral out of control .

My hours got cut even though I could work anytime and I never knew why. One day I asked the manager and he said it was because I was too slow. I was struggling with mental health issues and the manager even knew that. I wanted to quit so bad, but I stuck stayed. When I quit, I had been working there for a year and a half  sometimes getting scheduled as little as four hours a week.

In the fall of 2014, I started working for CWU Dining Services. Yes, it was working in the food industry but I didn’t care. I was desperate to quit my other job because I hating working so little in a week and wanted to make more money. Before I started working at the SURC, I worked at North Village Café.

While working at North Village Café, I learned to be fast, efficient, and to work in fast paced environment. This was everything that I didn’t learn from my first job, but they wished I knew when I worked there. Eventually, I transferred to the SURC  because it allowed me to work holiday breaks and I was on campus anyway.

I am grateful for my job at North Village Café because not only did I learn to have a stronger work ethic, but I also met my best friend, Henry there. This past year, I even received the Business and Financial Affairs Vice Presidential Award at the evening of recognition. It feels good to feel appreciated for the work I do because that is what makes me want to go to work every day and makes me able to say, “I love my job.”

I personally believe that every college student should have a job while going to school. Not only will you learn time management, but you will also learn skills that will help you when you get to your career someday, and you will also make lifelong connections and friendships along the way.