How do people in America manage multiple jobs or work while studying?
Posted by Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 94 comments
This is something I genuinely wonder about. I work during the day, and even though I want to study more for better opportunities, by the time I get home, I feel so mentally tired that I end up just using my phone for a while, then sleeping. I often hear that many people in America work multiple jobs or work while attending college, and I honestly wonder how they manage it physically and mentally without burning out. How do people keep that routine going?
MissDisplaced@reddit
I did it for years to get my degree.
I worked night shift 10pm-6am and went to classes from 8am-11am twice a week. I would sit in my car and study before class. Or I had a day job of 8-5 and took evening classes 2-3 nights per week. It took me a long time, but I eventually graduated. And this was before online college too.
I was constantly exhausted but I was young and had more energy back then.
AnybodySeeMyKeys@reddit
I worked a full-time job while attending college. 8-2 in classes, 3-midnight at work. That's when I learned to become really, really organized. If I wasn't working or in a classroom, I was studying or reading.
I was so exhausted by the time I graduated that I just went with my brothers to the beach and sat in a chair for an entire week. Literally just sat there.
IconoclastExplosive@reddit
Oh babygirl do I have news for you
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
So the answer is they are burning out, just silently. I genuinely thought maybe people had some secret energy formula.
ElementalPink12@reddit
Adderall is pretty common with college students.
I used it a lot while working and going to school.
Lady-Kitnip@reddit
No secret energy formula, just desperation.
IconoclastExplosive@reddit
It's not so much silent as it is... Omnipresent. We're all drowning together so we don't talk about the water as much, because we all know it's there and killing us.
I've been burnt out since I was like 8. I've worked 20 hour days, hundred hour weeks, gone weeks on end without a day off, and it's all just... There. We are, to borrow a phrase, carne por la machina. Meat for the machine.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That sounds so dark but also so honest. I think that’s what shocked me most, reading these replies that burnout is not an occasional phase; it sounds like a normal background state.
IconoclastExplosive@reddit
It is. It's a point of pride for a lot of people here that they work so much, sleep so little, have no time for family or friends or hobbies. It's an ouroboros of us molding the society that trains us to be this way and to mold that same society.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That is what feels most unsettling to me, that something so unhealthy is not even seen as alarming anymore, it is seen as discipline and pride.
theimmortalgoon@reddit
Yes.
After I was done with grad school, which I did in Europe, I thought I would be on easy street.
Instead, I moved back Stateside since there were so many more universities it seemed easier to find a job. There were times I was up at 5am to get some semblance of movement and exercise, to my first job by 8 (often late) left there at around 1, was at my second job by 2, left there at 9, then would go home and grade papers until 11, then find myself so hopped up on caffeine and anxiety that it was off to the pub until 2 when I was drunk enough to pass out, then waking up and doing it again. There were no weekends, just other jobs. I would bounce, and do building maintenance.
I did that for about a decade.
Then I moved to Europe again. No fucking thanks.
SharpestOne@reddit
You get used to it. Eventually the stress disappears into the background.
I grinded so hard in my 20s, these days my therapist is deeply concerned that I’m extremely stressed with the hormones swimming about, but without me being conscious of it.
megamanx4321@reddit
What do you mean without burning out?
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
I mean, how can I do? I want to but but but .... I got just too tired.
DrAuer@reddit
Not being homeless or starving is a great motivator
MissingGrayMatter@reddit
Very little sleep. When I was in university, I had full time classes and worked 35 hours a week. I was sleeping 3-4 hours a night and consuming a lot of caffeine. I had to scale back because I started having memory problems and hallucinations.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
You're so good, but the problem is with me that if I don't get proper sleep, then my headache will start, and that memory problems and hallucinations will also happen.
Klutzy-Caregiver4717@reddit
We get all of that too, we just do it anyway.
I'm in healthcare, and I remember I had a patient in his 20s once who had headaches all the time. After asking, he told me he only got a few hours of sleep per night so the headaches were probably related to that. He chose to treat this whole situation with goody powder, which is basically powdered aspirin, caffeine, and tylenol that you can get without a prescription. They have a little less caffeine than a cup of coffee each. He would take ten of them or more a day - just popped another one every time a headache came back or he got tired. They both help keep you awake and treat the headaches so he really liked using them.
He ended up having to have a grapefruit sized chunk of his stomach removed because he developed a giant bleeding stomach ulcer from all of the aspirin he was taking. He was one of the most impressive examples of projectile vomiting blood I can remember. He literally vomited arterial blood so hard that the blood flew straight through the air and hit the opposite wall.
It sounds like you just stop when sleep deprivation affects your health, which is the right thing to do but pretty much not how people operate here. Our culture is centered around accomplishing as much as possible and if you said you stopped or didn't do something because the sleep deprivation was affecting your health, a lot of Americans would consider you weak and lazy. For the record this attitude is insane but it exists.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That sounds honestly scary. I think this is the difference I was trying to understand because my body also starts reacting badly when sleep gets low, so I always wonder how people keep pushing through it. Maybe a lot of people are managing, but at a real health cost.
DrAuer@reddit
If you’ve ever seen the life expectancy chart to the US it tends to be a lot lower for similarly developed or even lesser developed countries. That is one of the reasons. The poor are exploited and burnt out
Stunning-Pick-9504@reddit
Yeah. I don’t think it’s doable for a lot of people. I was able to go full time college, engineering, had a wife kids, 30 hr/week job and undergrad research. The last year and a half I was getting 4-6 hrs of sleep per night, even on weekends. I was able to focus my way through it and most of the time I was too busy to realize how tired I was.
I did get burnt out for about 2 yrs after college though.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That post-college burnout is the hidden part no one talks about. People survive the phase, but the body and mind collect the bill later.
Beginning-Damage-555@reddit
Just trying to double upvote. This is the unfortunate reality. Hope you can sleep now
Latter_Quail_7025@reddit
Same. I did full time classes with two labs and worked a full-time job. Also commuted to university.
Hugh-Myrin@reddit
If it’s truly a priory for you, it will get done.
Hungry_Reading6475@reddit
I worked a full time corporate job while caring for a baby/toddler and a husband with health issues while also going to college part-time. Looking back I have no idea how I did it, we had zero outside help. The college program was “only” 2 years. I think if it had been longer I would had imploded.
We’re doing fine now but yeah that was a tough couple of years.
sneezhousing@reddit
You just do it because you know in the long run it will be better. You're tired but you have end goal. I did this for years working 7 days a week for years except for summer.
I worked retail so I tried to get school on only Tues and Thursday then work the other days. Ofcourse with test homework projects etc I had to do school work on work days. Just came home and instead of turning on the TV, pre smart phone, I opened my books. There is a huge chunk of pop culture I'm missing lol. I was tired but I knew in the end I would get a better job and make more money.
Not all semesters I was able to get classes that way so sometimes I had to go to school then work or vice versa. Those semesters were rough. When summer hit and I only had to work 5 days a week was like a vacation
SuperPomegranate7933@reddit
It's not easy. I've tried working & schooling 3 times now & I just don't have the energy to get through it.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That honestly makes me feel a little less alone because I keep thinking maybe I am just weak for not being able to handle both properly.
SuperPomegranate7933@reddit
It's not at all a weakness to not be able to grind yourself down for years. At this point I'm nearly 40 with a job I don't hate & an associate's degree. I'm done trying to force myself into the college box.
Fit_Permission_6187@reddit
I did it by taking 18 years to get a bachelor’s degree.
AleroRatking@reddit
Because it's a short term problem for a long term gain.
MetalEnthusiast83@reddit
The vast majority of Americans have one job
theegodmother1999@reddit
incredibly poorly. like in general we're not doing well, genuinely. but there's no choice so we just trudge on.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That is what I am understanding from all these replies that people are not managing because it is easy, they are managing because stopping is not an option.
Extra-Bonus-6000@reddit
Caffeine, adrenaline and perseverance, I guess. For several years I worked full time, did my home and parenting duties and balanced 2-4 classes at a time (year round, summer classes as well). I didn’t realize how hard I was burning myself out until I graduated.
A few weeks after graduating, I fell into an emotional slump where I could barely motivate myself to do anything and became restless where I had a deep, nagging feeling that I had to do something, but couldn’t focus on anything I enjoyed. It took me about 3-4 months to start feeling normal again.
So the answer is ‘some of us do it without realizing the harm we’re doing to ourselves in the process’.
Outrageous-Proof4630@reddit
So I was teaching full time and had 2 kids under 6 when I started my master’s program. For me, it didn’t feel overwhelming because I knew the degree would help me get the job I really wanted. I also knew it was temporary; when I would feel so tired I would remind myself it was only for 2 years.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
I think that temporary mindset really helps. When there is a clear endpoint, the struggle feels more bearable than feeling tired with no timeline in sight.
Ok-Energy-9785@reddit
They figure it out
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Hmm, just them I have to figure out how I will do..
Ok-Energy-9785@reddit
Better get to it
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Yes, Thanks..
InfamousSquash1621@reddit
A lot of people in America don't have a choice, they have to work that much whether they are exhausted or not.
We lack a lot of safety nets & "socialist" programs that are normal in other countries. A lot of jobs here don't offer paid vacation time or sick pay, pension or retirement plans from jobs vary greatly, parental leave is unpaid, you have to work or be in school to get food stamps, etc.
Combine that with crippling student loans & medical debt, housing prices rising out of control in a lot of cities, daycare is expensive IF you can even find it.
The result is people have to work themselves to death
InfamousSquash1621@reddit
A lot of Americans also spend what many people in say Europe or Asia would consider to be a ridiculous proportion of their income on transportation because the way our cities were designed we are forced to depend on cars instead of public transit or riding a bike. So we have car payments, car insurance, we gotta fill them with gas, pay for oil changes and other maintenance...it usually adds up to a lot more than a monthly transit pass
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Reading all this, it feels less like “how do people do so much” and more like “how are people even managing to stay afloat?” There are just expenses stacked everywhere, so overworking starts looking less like ambition and more like survival.
WhatABeautifulMess@reddit
Like many are saying a lot of them are burned out. But also people's bodies and minds are different and different jobs and areas of study are more physically or mentally demanding than others so some people do find that balance. I worked all through college as a glorified receptionist so I sat all day and sometimes could study at work and my major (area of study) wasn't very hard comparatively to others.
brizia@reddit
Truthfully, it was easy for me. I was a full time student and worked part time 25-30 hours a week. I also lived at home with my parents. My classes were on Mondays/Thursdays and I’d be at school from 10AM-9-PM with a one hour drive each way. Time in between classes was spent in the computer lab (it was over 20 years ago). I worked on the days I didn’t have classes, but never more than 5-6 hours. I also had a social life.
VeronaMoreau@reddit
Very little sleep. Sometimes caffeine. A lot of people who end up with meth addictions started using to deal with heavy schedules.
Zenthane@reddit
I work a modest 45 hour week and take 1 class at a time. After 4.5 years I'm 3 weeks away from graduating college at the age of 43. I don't even go nearly as hard as some people and I'm burned out AF. It's just how we all go about living. It's gotta happen or you're just giving up.
North_Artichoke_6721@reddit
Someone might have two part time jobs or one full time job and then a weekend job.
They might have a full or part time job and take one or two classes per semester.
It would be very difficult to work a full time job (40+ hours per week) and also take a full course load of classes.
Odd-End-1405@reddit
Changed careers, went for a second bachelors and MBA while working a full time stressful job.
You do get burned out and survive under a sleep deprivation cloud. You just do it because you have to. You have goals and have paid for this.
People working multiple jobs, for the most part, do so to survive. They do what is necessary and just do it. These are not choices where they can choose to play on their phones and fall into bed for a full night’s rest. This is about survival. Sleep beyond 5 hours becomes a luxury. It is tiring and exhausting but a necessity.
In other words, yes it can cause burnout, but people plow through because they need to.
Porcupine-in-a-tree@reddit
I earned my masters at night while working a full-time job, 6 months after giving birth to my first kid. Was it hard? Hell yes. Have I benefited exponentially over the past 15 years from the hard work I put in back then? Even more hell yes. If you want something bad enough, you’d be surprised what you can do.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That is seriously impressive. I think having a fixed goal and timeline makes a huge difference in pushing through that phase.
emotions1026@reddit
Less than six percent of Americans work multiple jobs.
ssgtdunno@reddit
Constant stress, anxiety, and the fear of homelessness are major motivating factors to just get through it
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Fear really does sound like the biggest fuel here, more than motivation.
DieHardAmerican95@reddit
When I did it, I fell asleep at the wheel on my way to work in the morning and nearly died in the resulting car accident.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That is terrifying. This is exactly why I keep wondering how normal this level of exhaustion has become.
514geekgirl@reddit
I'm not an American but was on my own young, I took naps in the library basement between classes
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Library basement naps sounds like pure survival mode honestly.
CalebCaster2@reddit
Have you ever heard the phrase "let them eat cake"? When told, "the people are desperate and hungry, they dont have bread", Marie Antoinette answered, "cant they just have cake then?".
Thats the energy you bring when you say "how come they dont burn out". We've been burnt out all along, but someone's gotta pay rent.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Okay, I get what you mean now. I think I was imagining people handling it smoothly, but clearly, most are just surviving through burnout.
coronarybee@reddit
Idk. My parents had me get a job at 13. So….. I think I was just used to it. Plus time management is a highly valued skill here
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Starting that young probably changes your whole stamina and discipline level. I was definitely not trained like that.
FunImprovement166@reddit
You never know how tough you gotta be until you gotta be that tough
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That line actually says everything. I think necessity really creates a different level of toughness.
cherryybomba@reddit
We are tired. 🤗 I worked full time while getting my bachelor's. Every moment of my day was planned for class, work, or homework. I occasionally had some social time, but it was planned in advance. Rarely had "scroll on my phone time," and that part was great.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
How? I mean, when I reach home, I just have enough power to do anything.
cherryybomba@reddit
I'm sorry, but you sound incredibly privileged. I did what I had to do to put a roof over my head and food on the table while trying to better myself.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
I understand, I wasn’t saying people have it easy. I was genuinely asking because I admire how people keep going even when they’re exhausted. I struggle with that part myself.
Sadimal@reddit
At my community college, it was common to either schedule all of your classes on certain days (I always scheduled mine on Tues./Thurs. Some did Mon,/Wed./Fri.), do night classes or take online classes.
Online education is becoming common for working adults.
PinchedTazerZ0@reddit
I had 2 jobs in kitchens while getting my masters. Didn't get much sleep and then ended up not really using my degree lol. I "rented" couch space from an older friend who had their own place and university was expensive without financial aid or loans so there wasn't really a way around it
Physical-Incident553@reddit
I did it quite well in university/college, graduating in very early 90s. Two jobs on top of classes. This was before most people had computers. No email. You used TYPEWRITERS for research papers. You do what you have to do.
pixelatedpostage@reddit
I worked three part-time jobs while being a full-time college student. I just...had to. If I didn't work, I didn't have a home. If I didn't go to college, I couldn't get the degree I'd been striving for.
It's amazing how much motivation you can get from the threat of homelessness or being deep into student loan with nothing to show for it.
So while burn out is real, most Americans can't afford to quit and just keep on burning without giving out.
Either-Youth9618@reddit
I did an accelerated masters degree while working full time. It was a year with very little sleep and awful weekends. However, I'm single without children so I can focus exclusively on myself. My classmates with children must've been so overworked.
emmie-claire@reddit
By being tired a lot mostly.
They just burn out dude.
No-Fix-614@reddit
Most people aren’t managing it well, they’re just pushing through because they have to, running on tight schedules, caffeine, and cutting back on sleep or social life, and burnout is pretty common even if it doesn’t look like it from the outside.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Yeahh after working the whole day, it's very tough to do work again after coming home.
Zaidswith@reddit
Only 5.2% of the population have multiple jobs. I don't know the percentage of students with jobs, probably most, but it's often part time. I worked around 24-30 hours a week during the semester. (You typically work full time during summers and other breaks.)
What it meant for me was I didn't really have off days. An easy day meant I only had to go to class or work. Though some days I did both. You work a lot of holidays, weekends, evenings.
Here's a fun fact: once you're seriously into working every single day you stop caring about time off. That's probably something you don't learn in a country with mandatory paid vacation. Do 12 retail or service days in a row. You stop thinking about anything except what needs to be done right now.
____ozma@reddit
I started working while in high school.
I went to college for many years while working. U took 1-2 classes after work. It took many years to finish school.
Last-Radish-9684@reddit
I was getting a divorce, working ½ time, and raising kids while I was going to school full time. I was 34. By the time I was 35 I was working full time (running a college/prison program) whilst still attending classes and raising kids. It was exhausting, but I ended up part of the administration and retired after almost 20 years with the school. My kids watched and learned a lot.
You stay calm, have a plan, and tackle each day as it comes. You only ever have to take on the day in front of you.
gardengrowsgreen@reddit
I’m convinced that the greatest skill you can learn in life is to “get comfortable feeling uncomfortable”.
Yes, it would feel good to be in bed sleeping or scrolling after a long day at work. But pushing yourself to do something uncomfortable, even if it leads to temporary burn out, may be worth it depending on the goal.
donuttrackme@reddit
They burn out eventually.
Acceptable_Tea3608@reddit
I worked 35-40 hrs weeks, and was raising a kid while I went to college part time. Oh and managing my household. I just happened to have high energy and only needed 6 hrs sleep. I basically had 18 hr days then. It took me 8 years to get my bachelor's but I had to change my major. I don't know how I did that.
Traditional-Let9530@reddit
They don’t magically have more energy, they just structure everything tightly, cut distractions, and accept being tired most of the time, so it’s less about balance and more about discipline plus necessity pushing them through.
Proud_Huckleberry_42@reddit
Most college (university) students work part-time. Part-time work is not common in most countries. Also, a lot of people work full-time and take 2-3 courses per semester. And, a lot of people who claim to work 2-3 jobs, are usually part-time jobs
bkmerrim@reddit
We are burnt out. Also, drugs.
toomuchpercyjackson@reddit
Burnout is inevitable eventually under those conditions no matter where you live. You can delay it with caffeine and willpower but eventually everyone gives out.
Baltering097@reddit
During my undergrad, I went to school full-time, had a part-time job (25-35 hours), and had an internship (20ish hours). When work was slow, I was allowed to do schoolwork, which did help some, but I also didn't sleep much and didn't really have anything going on outside of working/school. I did it because I had to and because many of the opportunities available to me then would only be available for a short time. I'm glad that I did it, but it would be difficult to convince myself to do it again.
Be gentle with yourself! It's completely normal to feel exhausted after working and not having the spoons to do more. Even if you're only able to study a little here or there, it will build up over time. :)
electrizai@reddit
I had two part-time jobs while I was finishing my bachelor’s degree. I used to get sleep paralysis like clockwork around finals week every semester, because I was so stressed and sleep deprived. This never happened to me before college, and hasn’t happened since. I honestly don’t even understand how I did it myself.
GroundbreakingTip276@reddit
Druuuuugs
rickpo@reddit
Perseverance is a learned skill. It requires effort and practice to develop.
Of course there is a limit. Although I would think a job while attending school should be easily within reach of almost everyone.
Klutzy-Comment6897@reddit
We are just superior that way. 🤷🏾♂️
Doone7@reddit
A lot of people don't have a choice. You just do it. And hopefully the strain doesn't tear you or your loved ones apart.