The hustle of balancing student life and business

Caught between lectures, side hustles and the pressure to succeed, young people are learning to work relentlessly, sometimes at the expense of their own rest.

Faith’s day does not revolve around lectures alone. As a student at KSTVET, she also runs a thrift-clothes business, selling to fellow students and customers online. Beyond her clothing business, she works online for an electronics shop based in Nairobi town. For her, the pursuit of education and financial independence happens simultaneously, leaving little room for a life that revolves around only one responsibility.

Her experience reflects a growing reality among young people who are trying to secure their futures while still navigating the demands of student life. For many in Generation Z, attending classes is no longer the only item on the day’s schedule. Running a business, responding to customers, completing assignments and searching for income opportunities have become part of the same routine.

Faith’s decision to combine education with entrepreneurship illustrates how young people are finding different ways to support themselves and pursue their ambitions. However, behind the determination to keep moving lies a bigger question: When did being productive become more valuable than being rested?

For Faith, balancing her responsibilities means dividing her attention between school, her thrift-clothes business and her online work. Her clothing business allows her to reach fellow students while also using online platforms to connect with potential customers beyond the classroom. Meanwhile, her work with an electronics shop adds another responsibility to an already demanding schedule.

In an interview, Faith explains how she manages these competing responsibilities: “My day is usually busy because I have to balance school, my clothes business and my online job. When I have classes I concentrate on my studies but also check on my customers and respond to several messages any free minute I get. I use my free rime to follow up on orders, and attend to my work responsibilities. Sometimes I sleep so late trying to handle all the tasks required of me since I cannot afford to fail any.”

Her response offers a glimpse into the practical decisions young people make when trying to balance several commitments. Time that might otherwise be spent relaxing may be used to complete an assignment, promote products, answer customer inquiries or attend to work responsibilities.

Across student communities, such experiences raise questions about the meaning of success among young people. With rising expectations to become financially independent, develop professional skills and establish businesses early, some young people may feel that slowing down means losing valuable opportunities.

Social media can add to this pressure by presenting carefully selected images of young entrepreneurs, successful professionals and ambitious students who appear to accomplish everything at once. Although such content can inspire, it can also encourage constant comparison, making ordinary progress seem insufficient.

Faith’s experience brings this tension into focus. Her determination to pursue education while earning an income demonstrates initiative and ambition. Yet, her story also invites a closer look at the personal demands that come with trying to succeed in several areas of life at once.

When asked whether she ever feels overwhelmed by her responsibilities, Faith says, “ Yes, sometimes I feel that there is always something I should be doing. Even when I have free time, I might think about customers I need to respond to, clothes I need to sell or schoolwork I have not completed. It can be difficult to relax completely when you know that there are responsibilities waiting for you.

Such experiences matter because rest is not necessarily a sign of laziness or a lack of ambition. It is a basic part of maintaining the energy and concentration required to study, work and run a business. Without sufficient time to recover, the pursuit of productivity can become exhausting rather than fulfilling.

For young people like Faith, the challenge is not simply finding more hours in a day. It is learning how to distribute those hours between present responsibilities and personal well-being, without feeling guilty whenever work pauses.

Faith’s story does not suggest that every member of Generation Z shares the same experience. Rather, it provides a window into the choices and pressures facing young people who are determined to build a future while managing the demands of the present.

Ultimately, ambition should not require young people to prove their worth through constant activity. Faith’s journey as a student, entrepreneur and online worker highlights both the determination of a generation seeking opportunities and the importance of making room for rest along the way.

Perhaps the real measure of success is not how much a young person can accomplish without stopping, but whether they can pursue their dreams without losing the ability to pause, breathe and live.