Waking up at five in the morning to get to work by six then going directly to school, skipping lunch just to be back at work on time and finally hitting the bed by midnight might sound like a rough day, but is a reality for students who try to balance a full-time career with a full-time school schedule.

That type of schedule is not ideal, but in many cases is required for students trying to finish a degree while beginning a career. There are only so many hours in a day, and being able to get classes into a nine or 10-hour work day can be a struggle.

There is no doubt that only career-driven individuals should attempt such a schedule. As someone who has worked this type of schedule my whole college tenure, I can tell you it is draining from an energy standpoint and certainly has an impact on social activities.

The sacrifices of lack of sleep, poor nutrition, little homework time and lack of a social life are small prices to pay if the student is juggling a career he or she wants to pursue full-time. Well maybe.

Lack of sleep creates many problems for students. As students, we already sleep much less than we should. Not sleeping creates low energy levels which are not a problem for most students, who will gladly down as much coffee as they need or an energy drink that’s contents could rip acid off of a car battery.

Take two hours of sleep a night and add a ton of energy drinks and we are well on our way to perfect health. Then throw in the fast-paced lifestyle and students are likely to eat anything they can find to stuff their faces with. The options on campus are not that healthy, and when students are on the run, the likely choice for a meal is fast food.

As a health freak, I used to avoid fast food at all costs, but the overwhelming schedule of working long hours, doing schoolwork and making it to the occasional class has found me in the drive-thru line or at Chipotle eating a 1,200-calorie burrito numerous times.

The time saved from not having to prepare a meal allows more time to get from school to work and then to possibly fit in some homework. Homework is usually one of the last things on my mind when I get home at night, knowing I have to be up in five hours. I usually eat something real fast and then get to bed. Unfortunately, homework usually suffers the most.

Little homework time will have a negative impact on grades, so students will sacrifice even more sleep to finish writing a paper, studying for a midterm or, in my case, writing this column. It’s amazing how all these time-consuming activities result in one thing: a burned out student who has little time for social activities.

So after staying up all night to do homework, working and going to school all day, eating poorly and filling our diets with coffee and energy drinks, students still manage to be successful at both their school and their job. It’s a wonder that it can be done.

The question that I ponder is what kind of impact will it have on our lives to come? I think back to Adam Sandler’s character in the movie, “Click,” where he spends too much time working and eating poorly and not enough time with his family and friends. I don’t want to end up missing much of my life for work. So in the end we have to ask if it’s all worth it.

Vinnie Gesuele can be reached at [email protected]