The average full-time employee in Utah works about 36-40 hours in any given work week.
Full-time students at Salt Lake Community College usually take 12 to 15 credit hours, the equivalent of four or five classes. The exhausting combination of work and school can affect the physical and mental health of students.
The balancing act of attending classes, participating in extra-curricular activities and spending time with family and friends can be difficult for students to manage.
Hannah Staller and Meg Warnock are both former SLCC students and have since transferred to the University of Utah. Staller is a nursing major and Warnock is an art major. They both work at Nostalgia Café in downtown Salt Lake City and are roommates.
“The biggest thing for me was to schedule a time and place to study. Meg and I have an extra room at our house, and we have turned it into our study space. Meg has room to paint and I have a desk to study,” says Staller.
Warnock follows with, “The study room allows us to save money from spending a few dollars to drink coffee at a coffee shop and gives us no excuse not to study. We also have fridges stocked with snacks, so we don’t need to leave.”
Another student, Mack Matheson, says he has had to cut down on hours for work in order to complete his homework.
“I often wake up early in the morning to complete assignments before school or work. It’s hard, but it’s possible,” says Matheson.
Brittany Lloyd, a second-year social work student, works full-time at her family’s restaurant in Ogden and commutes to school every day via the FrontRunner train.
“I’m really lucky to work at a really chill job. I get a lot of my homework done while I’m at work. But for anyone that isn’t so lucky, it’s really important to keep track of due dates and prioritize your assignments,” says Lloyd.
Lloyd also recommended keeping a planner and budgeting time for self-care.
SLCC’s website has its own list of resources for students seeking help in areas like health, wellness and tutoring.
