Being a student means studying late, downing double doubles, and, sometimes, not doing as well as you might have hoped on a test. It means communicating with teachers when you don’t quite get it; it means meeting deadlines; it means being an adult and not just hoping for the best.
Luckily, it also means getting discounts for public transit through U-passes, and getting 10 percent off groceries at some stories. But while there are some financial perks, for the most part being a student means years—sometimes decades—of financial hardship.
And it also means that you work like a dog in the summer to try to make up for some of those hours missed during classes. On a warm summer night, at the end of a 50-hour week, student life can seem daunting. Working as much as possible during the summer months is another reality of student life, but after so many months of the economy being closed, I’m grateful that the hours exist; it feels great to be sore and aching at the end of the week with no break in sight. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
So, pedal to the metal, Camosun students. I feel your exhaustion. I feel your crunch. I feel your desire to finish the day ahead of where it started. And when we’re so tired, it can feel like that’s the last thing we’re doing, but work hard, be kind, don’t be afraid to sweat—a hard day’s work pays off, sometimes in the ways we least expect it.
And if you’re feeling the crunch extra hard this week, there’s always another double double with your name on it nearby.