By Joslyn DelSignore Jambar Contributor
Bobby Loftus spends his week balancing classes, two jobs and two student organizations, and the junior social work major is not alone.
Sara Fugett, executive director of career exploration and development, stated that about 1,700 Youngstown State University students are working part-time jobs on campus. Melanie Leonard, student employment specialist at career exploration and development, stated that approximately 250 of those students work multiple jobs on campus.
These statistics do not include the number of students who also work off-campus jobs.
Loftus works at the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center on campus and at a local convenience store. He is also a member of the Student Social Work Association and RE:PLAY Dance Collective at YSU.
At the beginning of the semester, Loftus said he was working around 40 hours a week. Now, he works approximately 25 hours, six days a week. Loftus’s classes fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“My schoolwork is the least challenging part of my life right now,” Loftus said. “Work takes up so much of my time.”
Loftus said that dedicating so much time to work and school makes it more difficult to make time for his well-being.
“I get home from work or when I’m done with class, and I have to figure out how to balance that between my hobbies, my personal relaxation and my friends and stuff like that,” Loftus said. “A lot of the time, I find myself having to choose.”
Loftus said he sometimes has trouble with his jobs being flexible or accommodating. However, he is able to do schoolwork at both of his jobs — which he said he finds helpful.
Loftus said something that would be beneficial is more financial support for lower middle-class students.
“I haven’t been able to find a job that I can do on its own that is able to support me financially,” Loftus said. “I can afford these things if I stretch myself thin, but that doesn’t mean I should have to.”
Some students work multiple jobs off campus while still attending classes.
Emily Sargent, senior dietetics major at YSU, works as a shift leader at Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar and teaches workout classes at Body Temple Fitness. She typically works 22-25 hours a week.
Sargent said she has either work, school or both everyday, sometimes going from one job to another. On Fridays, she goes to class, then to work and back to class.
“I feel like people don’t understand how difficult it is to be a college student who also works and just having all of your time accounted for,” Sargent said. “We’re balancing a lot of stuff.”
Sargent said both of her jobs are good at accommodating her school schedule. Planning everything ahead helps her stay on track, even planning social events with her friends or family early in advance.
“It’s just another thing I have to plan,” Sargent said. “That’s how I balance it. … I just add it to my schedule.”
Being able to have a job that she loves doing, and also a job that supports her financially are factors Sargent said she finds rewarding working two jobs.
“I do that because honestly, I just love it, like I love the experience,” Sargent said. “What’s rewarding about it is just being able to fit both the job at the gym and [Pulp] into my schedule, because I love instructing.”
The challenge of working two jobs does not just affect undergraduate students.
Livia Laudermilt is a graduate student getting her master’s degree in professional communication. Laudermilt works as coordinator at the Tressel Institute for Leadership and Teamwork and a cheer coach at Lowellville High School.
Laudermilt said she works five days a week for a total of about 46 hours. She also attends classes at YSU on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Laudermilt said doing her school work ahead of time helps her to stay on track with her busy schedule.
“When I’m done with [school], I go home, and I really sit down and I plan out two weeks because I have to,” Laudermilt said. “If an assignment’s due in two weeks, I start working on it a week before because I know how busy I’ll be.”
Laudermilt said she tries to make time for self-care after class, but it can be a challenge to fit it into her schedule. In her free time, she said she enjoys playing pickleball, reading and spending time with family and friends.
“There’s definitely less time to do what I want to do, but I love the people in my life so much that I’ll make time for them,” Laudermilt said.