Ukiah High Junior, Gracie Fairall is one of the many students who have chosen to find work during the pandemic. While taking her courses online, she decided to add a job at the local restaurant, The Broiler. Fairall told us she is finding that the income from her job is helping her and is also making her feel more accomplished and independent in her life. With all of the pressure of having her first real job and also keeping up with her school work, Fairall said she is a constant trial at finding the balance between the two while also keeping in a peaceful state of mind.
For students like Gracie and many others, they are still taking hard classes alongside their jobs. These classes can be difficult and time consuming, but the drive to have your own money and freedom, is something that can motivate students to work harder in their classes so that they can balance both. “The freedom I would have because I would be making my own money is what made me want to get a job in the first place. That, and feeling prepared for the future!” Gracie said enthusiastically when asked about her initial motive to get a job.
Even through the excitement of working for the first time, not everything always goes right. Though Fairall tries her best to balance school and work along with time for herself, it can still get stressful sometimes. “It’s very stressful at times. I constantly find myself falling behind in school and struggling to find that balance between work, school, and also just time to relax.” Fairall said. Even though work and school is difficult at times, she is finding her own ways to work through that stress so that she can keep going. “To deal with all the stress, I find it’s most effective for me to just talk to someone I trust about how I’m feeling. I also find spending time outside, especially without a screen, is another great way for me to release my stress!” Even with constant battles with stress and time management, the potential freedom from the income of working is worth it in the end.
As with anything, there are ups and downs of working while still in school, but one of the many positives to finding a job is the independence that someone can feel, especially a student working for the first time, when their income starts to add up. “My favorite part of my job is definitely the feeling of independence that I get from it because what I earn is truly my own money.” Fairall said. “It’s awesome. I love having my own money. In the future, I plan to use it on a car and my college career.” Even by putting the money earned into the future, it can still feel freeing for students to know that they could be making a potentially huge impact on their lives in the future.
Learning to balance work and school is just the first big step in my Ukiah High Wildcats lives that is setting them on the right path for a successful future. With Fairall getting a taste of adulthood ahead of her, she is already starting to think forward with the money she earns and is going to use it to help herself along the way in the near future.
