The Perks of Being Busy

As a student at Florida Tech, you’ll be extremely busy. You’ll have labs and homework. You’ll probably be involved in many clubs and organizations. Perhaps you’ll be in a fraternity or a sorority, or perhaps you’ll snag an internship or two during the summers or Fall and Spring semesters.

But I’m here to tell you — being busy is fun. Here’s why.

Jobs.

Having a job or two during college is awesome. You might need to work in order to pay that tuition or rent bill, or you might just want a little extra money in your pocket.

I have had four jobs since I was 17, and I’ve almost always had two jobs at once — for a time, three. I like spending too much money on delicious food, and I have my own apartment, so a job is something I need to have in order to do these things.

I work at Symetrics cleaning the building, and I can’t tell you much about what people at Symetrics do — except that they chew a lot of gum. I also work as a student blog editor, which is basically the coolest thing you can get paid to do. I’ve also worked at a surf shop for some extra cash, and that was fun. I made a lot of friends there.

Pros:

– You have money. Do you feel a random craving coming on for hot wings and a soda with some friends? Go get ‘em! You’ve got the money. Do you have bills to pay? Pay them! You have the money. Do you feel like shopping every once in a while? Well, you can, and you don’t have to ask your parents for money, either.

– You’re independent. You can rely on yourself, and you develop a strong work ethic, too. This helps you for your future so you don’t go into the workforce as a lazy person. No one likes a lazy millennial, guys.

Cons:

– You may lose a little sleep. If you like to sleep, I strongly recommend no more than one job. Having three jobs doesn’t allow for sleep.

– You develop an extreme tolerance to caffeine. Coffee? Pshh. Coffee doesn’t wake you up. You need a venti quad-shot macchiato to wake up — that’s four shots of espresso and six bucks a pop. Empty Mountain Dew bottles will also litter your car floor … I’m just warning you.

Clubs & Organizations.

Join a club or two. It’s one of the greatest things you can do for your college experience. That way, you’re not just taking classes and sitting around; you’re involved in something bigger than you. I joined the Crimson my freshman year, and it was the best decision I have ever made.

Pros:

– You make friends. You network. You have fun, and it’s not “all work and no play.” You become a part of your campus community, and you make an impact.

Cons:

– There are no cons. Join a club! Join the Crimson; we love newbies.

Internships.

Try to get an internship! They are great, hands-on experience for your future careers. You can get a sense for what you want to do, and what you don’t want to do.

For example, I got an internship at SCB Marketing, which is an extremely awesome opportunity. I write articles and blogs for the magazines and websites, I help proof and copy-edit and other things.

I have learned a lot about the field, delved into the magazine world and I have really liked it. I have also found out that I don’t like sitting at a desk, I get weirded out when it’s quiet, I kind of hate office settings and that I need to be up and moving in a future career. You’ll figure out what you like and what you don’t like, too, and get experience with trained professionals that want to help you succeed.

Why is doing all of this, all at once, fun? I’m always moving. There’s never a period where I’m bored. I live fast-paced, and I really enjoy and value the free time that I do have, instead of taking it for granted. That’s a good lesson to learn early on in life.

(Featured Photo Credit: One in a Billion Blog)

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