I think the important thing to understand going into working full time and being a student full time is time management. I am a shift 25 hours a week and a server at a restaurant 20-30 hours a week. I’m a full time student at ASU and I’ve been juggling this for 3 years. I graduate in December and have a 3.9 gpa. I think that the one successful token of wisdom I can give as advice is to plan ahead. I struggle with depression so some days are harder than others but I always made sure to know what was due at the beginning of every week. The hardest part is planning to do something and then following through. Having little wiggle room to slack off made it easier to stick to completing tasks but harder to feel like a human and not a robot when I was dealing with mental health issues. It’s silly that if you want something that’s difficult to attain, you have to keep reminding yourself why you want it. I keep envisioning myself graduating and quitting my jobs so I can start a new path that hopefully pays more but the closer I get, the more I realize that even if I don’t find something right away, getting my degree is literally going to be an achievement to celebrate in itself.

I like being a shift. Sure, it’s stressful but so is being a barista. I like that Bux gives the opportunity to earn an education. Take one class at a time at first so you can get acclimated to having a new schedule outside of work. Adjust the balancing act if you feel like you can handle more.

Maybe you can start classes, get the hang of it, and then promote. Or vice versa. You should also make sure to check in on your mental health from time to time. I started speaking to a therapist through Lyra at the beginning of this year and it helped tremendously.

Balance, my dood. That’s my advice.

It’s death. I work 35-38 hours and my schedule isn’t consistent (I open and close and it changed weekly) idek what I’m doing with my life. I’m the most depressed when I do ASU and full time working.

My SM and previous ASM were both enrolled in ASU plus they had families to take care of. Some of the most hard working people I know. Personally, I know I absolutely cannot handle working full time and going to school full time so I’m going to be cutting my hours down once school starts (I’m going to an in person uni but I spent the last year enrolled in community college online and p much failed everything so I predict the same thing would’ve happened w ASU). I would asses what your capabilities are and also your store needs. Thankfully my store has a lot of shifts so I have more flexibility to be able to work less during school. My SM is also super understanding. Overall I do like being a shift because I like having control over how the day goes bc I try my best to make everyone feel heard and comfortable and make the best out of our situation. It’s also stressful and my head is always spinning. I put myself on warming 90% of the time when I’m the play caller bc that’s the easiest place for me to be to run the shift but that also means I’m not on bar as much. However I do get a lot of time off the floor doing things in the back which is nice bc it’s always chaotic at my store and I like having stretches of time where I’ll be doing the pull or putting away the truck and I can listen to music or an audiobook.

I think it’s pretty doable to do ASU and be a shift. It is a very good thing to put on your resume bc we basically have to do it all. And with ASU they split up the semester into two parts so you’ll only take 2 or 3 classes at a time at an accelerated pace which makes it easier to manage. From what I’ve seen they have a pretty good support system for students. The value of a degree at no cost to you is also a huge thing. And if you find yourself wanting to leave Starbucks you can always take the credits you have and transfer to a different college or step down as a shift.

I blows! But school is paid for. It’s too bad though that I’m a prisoner at my store for the next few years though….I can’t transfer. Sometimes we really do it to ourself

The responsibility as a shift definitely varies from store to store. We’ve had borrowed shifts at my store before and some have made comments about how much we do compared to their stores. I would recommend connecting with your shifts and asking about their experiences. I personally love talking with my baristas about my position, especially to those interested in becoming a shift! I’ve been a shift for a few years now and I for sure have days where I regret it, and others when I love it.
I just started at ASU this past summer semester. I’m a single mom to a toddler, work 40 hours each week, and am doing ASU part time. I thought I could maybe handle full time school also, but decided I would rather do really well and not overwork myself, managed a 4.0 this first semester!! Best of luck to you✨✨