Things I Have Learned Being a Working Student

Being a working student taught me more than how to earn money. It taught me about responsibility, regret, relationships, exhaustion, resilience, and faith. Looking back now after graduating college just last May, there are many lessons I wish I had learned earlier.

I started working as a young professional when I stepped into senior high school. Being part of a middle-class family in the Philippine economy meant we had to work harder than the system seemed to reward people. It was during the pandemic, so the job I worked at was a work-from-home customer service representative position. I lasted only six months.

I enjoyed my salary and everything that came with it. At that age, I did not fully understand my responsibilities or how much of a privilege it was to be working and earning my own money. I was able to help pay our family’s bills, contribute to my tuition, and fund some of my own projects.

After that, I worked another work-from-home job as an appointment setter for a B2B account. I did not do well. To be fair, I have never been particularly good at sales anyway.

Still, I managed to support myself throughout senior high school until I graduated.

When I entered college, I decided to take a break from working. My sister supported me financially, and at the time, my reasoning was simple: I wanted to focus on my studies.

Looking back, this is one of the decisions I struggle with the most.

Bills were difficult to pay, and I often felt ashamed knowing that I was relying on my sister, even though she volunteered to help. I was fortunate enough to become an academic scholar, which gave me a 50% discount on my tuition, but I still wanted to contribute.

When I stepped into my second year of college, I worked as a student assistant in my school’s office.

Some of the bills were paid, and though I was grateful for the opportunity, the environment was exhausting for me. It simply was not a place where I felt I could thrive. After one year, I decided to quit.

Throughout my third year in college, I continued relying on my sister.

At the time, I did not realize how much this situation was affecting me emotionally. One of the things I regret most was having to depend on a family member who could very well have been struggling too.

My sister has her own story, her own burdens, and her own exhaustion.

Though things could have been handled better at times, I understand now that carrying another person’s responsibilities is not always easy. That realization changed the way I think about independence.

Then things became even more difficult.

My laptop broke.

So there’s that. Haha.

I remember feeling stuck. I could not continue being a burden anymore, and I knew I needed to find a way forward.

Thankfully, I have my boyfriend, who was and still is incredibly supportive. I am eternally grateful for him. He lent me his MacBook so I could continue applying for jobs.

For five months, I searched.

Five months of applications, waiting, hoping, and trying not to lose motivation.

Eventually, I landed my first work-from-home job since 2021.

I was so happy.

For the first time in a while, I felt like I could breathe again.

I was able to save money and eventually buy a new laptop with help from my boyfriend and my mom. Most importantly, I was finally able to pay my own bills again without relying entirely on someone else.

I even got to fund some experiences for myself.

Nothing extravagant, but enough to enjoy the feeling of having earned something through my own effort.

At that point, I was juggling night shifts and face-to-face classes in the morning.

It was hard.

Very hard.

I was constantly tired, and my body was definitely struggling. But mentally, I was prepared to face each day because I had bills to pay. Looking back, I think I was operating almost entirely in survival mode.

Not long after, I was laid off.

So once again, I had to find another job.

Thankfully, I eventually found work that was not as physically taxing as the previous one.

This is only a small glimpse into what my life looked like while studying and working my way through college. There are many details left out, but the experiences taught me lessons that I will probably carry for the rest of my life.

Never Take Opportunities for Granted

One lesson I learned is to never take opportunities for granted.

If I had known that work-from-home jobs would become much more saturated four years later, I might have made different decisions. I often think about my first job and wonder what could have happened if I had stayed longer, continued improving my skills, and gained more experience while I was still young.

Maybe some things would have turned out differently.

Maybe not.

But that experience taught me that opportunities are often easier to lose than we realize.

Independence Matters, but So Does Gratitude

Another lesson is the importance of being able to support yourself.

For a long time, I carried guilt about relying on other people financially. I never wanted to become someone else’s burden.

At the same time, this journey also taught me gratitude.

My sister helped me.

My boyfriend helped me.

My mom helped me.

There were seasons in my life when I simply could not do everything on my own.

While I still believe in doing everything I can to stand on my own feet, I also learned to appreciate the people who carried me when I was unable to carry myself.

I learned that independence is important, but gratitude is equally important.

Learn to Manage Your Time and Protect Your Rest

I also learned that time management is a skill that needs to be developed intentionally.

To be honest, it is still one of my greatest struggles.

There are days when I feel like I am falling behind and days when I feel like I have everything under control. Most of the time, it is somewhere in between.

What matters is continuing to improve little by little.

Another lesson I learned is knowing when to rest, when to continue, and when to quit.

Even though I sometimes wish I had stayed at my first job, I do not completely despair over that decision. I understand there are reasons why things happen, and every experience taught me something valuable.

What has been harder for me is learning how to rest.

If you spend enough time in survival mode, rest can start to feel unnatural.

You become so used to constantly thinking about responsibilities, deadlines, bills, and problems that slowing down feels uncomfortable.

For me, rest looked like writing, journaling, drinking coffee, reading, going on dates with my boyfriend, and having meaningful conversations.

For someone else, it may look completely different.

What I do know is that being able to pause in a busy world is a skill.

It does not happen overnight.

It does not happen automatically.

It is something we learn.

Relationships Matter More Than We Realize

Perhaps one of the most important lessons I learned was about relationships.

Learning how to navigate painful emotions while juggling academics and work responsibilities is incredibly important.

Skills can be learned.

Tasks can be mastered.

But relationships require care.

What made me realize this is how exhaustion affects us.

When we are overwhelmed, stressed, and running on empty, we inevitably become irritable.

We become impatient.

We become frustrated.

But exhaustion is never a justification for how we treat the people closest to us.

That is a lesson I am still learning.

Faith Carried Me Through

Beyond all these lessons, there is one thing I cannot leave out.

If you have been reading my blogs, you probably already know that I am a person of faith.

I genuinely believe I survived those years because God helped me.

There were too many moments when things should have fallen apart completely, and yet somehow I kept moving forward.

Ultimately, I give all of it to Him.

I got through some of my most exhausting nights and painful emotions because He never stopped caring for me.

I think He is the only One we can fully rely on without fear of disappointing Him or burdening Him.

Reading the Bible kept me accountable in ways that self-help videos and articles never could.

It forced me to examine my character, my attitude, my habits, and my heart.

It challenged me to become a better person, even during seasons when I was struggling just to get through the day.

As I finish writing this, I know these are only snippets of lessons that many people have probably already discussed and explored far better than I ever could.

Haha.

But I am grateful that I get to share them anyway.

I am still young.

I am still learning.

There may come a day when I look back on this blog and realize that some of my perspectives have changed.

Who knows?

Life is about growing and evolving in some way, after all.

For now, these are the lessons I carry with me.

Thank you for being here.