Not Working Hard Enough?

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I am somewhat disturbed that I am not working hard enough in grad school. Most of my other classmates seem physically exhausted all the time, whereas I am rarely very tired. I do have good grades and am making the professional connections I want. I also do not have a job, whereas many of my classmates do. But if I worked as hard as they did on something other than a job, I could be President of the U.S. by now.

So am I slothful? Am I giving in to the creeping socialism that infests our society? I am worried my sloth is letting myself and others down.

I worry about that a little, though my situation is different.

I have a family to support, and so do a lot of other people. Many of these others accomplish really great things but they require doing a lot more when you get home from work. And working late hours on things like 2nd jobs or schooling, or starting your own business., etc. http://www.wrongplanet.net/mods/bbcode_ ... italic.gif However, it is hard to decide what to do because I don't want to not give my family the attention they need. Right now, I'm just coming home from work, taking care of "life in general", and not really accomplishing much else.

I don't have a family to support. I think only one gentleman I know has a family, though I am not sure how he works that out. More commonly, everyone works. Some work and go to classes. One woman works, goes to classes, and is quite active on the volunteer scene. I am catching up to some extent, but the reality is that I barely have energy for what I'm doing now. It's possible I just may not be using my resources as effectively as I could be.

They say not to compare yourself to others. There is wisdom in this.

But at the same time, it is undeniable that sometimes you don't realize what is possible until you see someone else doing it. Then all of a sudden you go, "hmm, maybe I could do this too."

When I had a problem staying awake in class because other people in the dorm weren't respecting "quiet hours," an ass of a professor said there was no excuse...even though I worked a part-time job...because HE worked THREE jobs while going to college.

There is a question of being lazy that should be asked, but not everyone has the same limits.

I could work more than 40 hours a week, but I'd prefer not to...especially if it's at more than one job. I need my "me time" to gather myself and unwind before I get a good night's sleep. Some guys brag about being able to do 100-hour weeks, and that really means they have nothing but work and sleep. I'd have a nervous breakdown in not time at all if I did that.

The last time I worked 2 jobs, the quality of my work reeeeeally suffered.

Studying comes differently to people. They may struggle to learn what you can easily learn. When I was in school, I could easily learn history, while others studied their heads off. Switch to math class, people couldn't understand how I could struggle so much.

If you are getting the grades you need to be successful, and making connections, your doing everything right.

I would suggest a part time job or volunteer/internship in your field of study. It can go a long way towards that post degree job.

Congratulations