Nothing stresses me out more than opening my Google Calendar.
I always fail to understand how I can fit so many of my jobs, extracurriculars and, of course, my demanding academics all in one day. Somehow, seeing every hour of my week filled to its brim makes me even more motivated. Maybe it is the chaos. Maybe it is the satisfaction of knowing that I am doing something with every hour of the day, not giving myself time to produce a single thought.
College has provided the environment for me to understand that there really are only 24 hours in a day. At a school like Cornell, those 24 hours can suddenly feel like 24 minutes — possibly even less. Time goes by so quickly when you are constantly overwhelmed, and when thinking about your future, that anxiety never really stops.
Cornell is a place where you just have to excel in everything that you do. You’ll take the hardest classes because you think that you can handle them, or try to involve yourself in every extracurricular possible because it might boost your resume and maybe you’ll even want a job.
But wanting a job and actually getting one are two very different things.
Applying for an on-campus job can feel like an entirely separate extracurricular. You spend hours scrolling through listings on Workday, rewriting your resume, answering application questions and trying to convince your employer that you can sit on a desk and greet people that walk into an office. Getting an interview is never even a guarantee, so you wait. That waiting period can last several weeks until you finally get an email stating that the position you applied for had already closed.
How did I even get rejected for a job position that has already been filled without a previous notice?
Unfortunately, you’re going to be asking yourself that same exact question for a lot of the jobs you will be applying for, and don’t worry — I’ve been there, too.
There is something particularly frustrating about spending hours applying for jobs when you are already trying to balance school, extracurriculars and a social life. You are not just competing for a paycheck, but also competing for work experience that can help you pursue your dream career.
Now, it’s time to discuss the part that no one talks about: finding the time to schedule your shifts.
Having an on-campus job is the best way to cultivate self-discipline. Somewhere in between the lines of wanting to make money and gaining experiences for a resume is just a student who wants to have a daily routine that feels productive. And I can speak from experience.
I currently work at the Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance, along with being a fitness monitor at the Cornell Fitness Centers. These roles have taught me to be more grounded. Through all of the busy shift hours combined with the hours I spend cramming for my prelims, I have found a sense of silence through the noise.
I find that working an on-campus job teaches me to manage my time better, learning that once again, there are only 24 hours in a day and it is up to only me to know how to handle it. During those working hours, my responsibilities become straightforward: I know that I have somewhere to be, something to constantly be doing and a set time where I am supposed to be working. This system forces me to stop thinking about the next assignment I have, the next application I have to submit or the next thing I need to add to my Google Calendar.
Still, with all the skills that I have gained from working on-campus jobs, I still have not mastered the art of balance, and realistically speaking, I probably never will. However, having a job has made me more intentional about how I spend my 24 hours in a day, reminding me that productivity does not have to mean that I am constantly studying or building my resume. Sometimes, productivity can look like showing up to my shifts, doing my job and then simply going home.
My biggest recommendation is to work a job that you enjoy. You do not necessarily have to be passionate about the work that you are doing, but it is important to at least enjoy your job so that you feel you are making a good use of your time. Because at Cornell, where it often feels like everyone is constantly trying to do more, the goal should not always be to add another thing to your calendar, but to find something that is worth keeping there.
Maya Rothbard is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the Lifestyle department and can be reached at mrothbard@cornellsun.com.
