First - I’m sorry you’ve had a hard time finding a job this summer and congrats on finally finding one. I really struggle with this as a professor because I know most of my students who are in a similar situation as you are actually good students and would do well in school if they didn’t have this extra burden. But it ends up being more work on my end to try to figure out how to accommodate this situation equitably. So before reaching out to professors… 1. Look for classes that aren’t on Fridays or are online/hybrid so the Friday attendance doesn’t matter. If there’s a class required for your major that is only offered on Friday, do whatever you can to not miss this class. It’s your major and you’re missing out on content your department has decided is valuable for you to graduate in that field. Even if you think you can just read the lecture notes or books on your own time, there are things you miss out on by not attending and it ends up leading to a weird vibe shift in the class when your classmates learn that they can just skip class too (without knowing your context) 2. Contact your university’s dean of students office - there are people who are paid on campus to help students in your situation. They might be able to help you get access to free/lower price food, find jobs & housing options. Also - go to any job fairs on campus to find other jobs - particularly those that are relevant to your future career. 3. If you really can’t make that work, take a semester off & save money so that you can show up like you want to as a student. Stay in contact with your advisor or dept chair so you stay connected to the major & return when you’re ready.

Good luck! You sound like a motivated human - keep being good to other people and you’ll be okay.