Every week, WSN profiles a student who balances school and work. Check out our previous “On the Job” columns here.

Being a junior in college can be both exciting and daunting. With graduation on the horizon, students may feel a greater pressure to plan ahead. Constant searches for possible career paths become routine. Browsing through the internet not only consists of Facebook updates, but also internship openings.

One thing college has revealed is the numerous amount of opportunities and an unproportionate lack of time to pursue these openings. Tisch junior Johanna Rachel Mullen, however, understands the difficulty of balancing student life with career opportunities and has applied her own approach to taking on several jobs.

“I work at multiple places,” Mullen said. “I work at Coles Sports Center as head monitor of operations, and I also work for the Tisch Talent Guild, which is a coalition trying to bring together all the disciplines of Tisch into collaboration. And I just recently got hired as a house manager at Stella Adler Studio of Acting.”

Due to long studio hours in Tisch, Mullen finds herself starting her day at 6 a.m. each morning.

“I can’t work normal hours at a regular job,” Mullen said. “I have to be very organized.

Despite working long hours, Mullen tries to also make time for her friends and being part of a sorority has helped her do so. However, she noted that the social aspect does suffer compared to time spent in classes. Unsurprisingly, working long hours on top of and between classes has added up to a lot of stress.

“When people are going out, I have to sleep because I have to be up at five in the morning,” Mullen said. “I would say the low points are definitely when it all starts to get very intense.”

However, Mullen believes her work experience will eventually pay off.

“I have been a perfectionist,” Mullen said. “But I put a lot of stress on myself because I know that what I am doing will eventually make myself a more well-rounded and happy person. Those are the things that you can take from any job you go to, no matter what the discipline is.”

Even after a long day of work and study, Mullen said she is lucky enough to do what she loves.

“You have to make sure you’re doing things you enjoy,” Mullen said. “Surround yourself with the people you enjoy and that you love. They’re what keep you going.”

Email Yeho Hwang at [email protected].