Working full time while completely

Students work full time while completely online

Hailee Bowen | staff writer

While some students have chosen the online option for school this year due to COVID-19 concerns, other students have chosen online school to put themselves into the workforce, full time or close to it.

“Working a full-time job and still having to complete my virtual classes really depends on if I have the motivation honestly. Sometimes it’s a struggle to do my work because I personally would rather sleep,” senior Cailyn Wells said.

For Wells, being an online student allows her to experience what it will be like working while tackling school.

“Being a virtual student helped me get a better full-time job because I’m actually able to work a full, eight-hour shift or longer. If I were to still be going to school I could only work roughly four to five hours a day,” Wells said.

Finding the balance between working at or near full-time and school challenges the online student to manage their time and have discipline and motivation to complete their school work after putting in a full day’s work at their jobs.

“It’s difficult sometimes working and going to school, but it pays off in the long run. I’m working full time so I can get a house on my own after high school. It definitely created some scheduling issues; it actually improved my grades,” senior Gabe Moss said.

“Being virtual allowed me to be able to work one job during school hours and then go to my other job afterward. It has impacted my grades a little. They vary because of how I procrastinate sometimes, but I also make sure my school work is done before I go to work,” said senior Alyssa Lucas, who has two part-time jobs while going to school online. “It’s hard going to school and work both because you have to manage your time extremely well.”

Some students who have jobs feel more independent by working full time and have to learn how to manage their money to meet their financial goals.

“I decided to get a full-time job because I am currently renting out my own house, and I need to pay my bills,” Wells said.

“I decided to work full-time because I want to be able to buy and pay for my own stuff. It has also allowed me to start saving up for the future,” Lucas said.

Even though being an online student allows students to use their time as they see fit — whether they work full time, spend hours practicing to become a better athlete, or have an alternative schedule that might start later than the regular school day. Still, being an online student does not compare to being at school, in-person. “...I know that it’s a little more difficult trying to teach yourself how to do the assignments rather than having a teacher stand beside you and help you understand the assignment more,” Wells said.