I overheard a student on campus say “the struggle is real” after forgetting to ask for mayonnaise and mustard packets for the turkey sandwich he just purchased.

For me, the struggle is real when you have two jobs, are a part-time college student, a member of the school’s newspaper and you have a 3 year old, a 5 year old and a wife waiting for you to spend time with them at home.

How I balance the routine of working from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. at Herald Publications, then drive to school for classes until 3 p.m. and work from 4 p.m. to midnight at my valet job, is beyond me. I just wake up everyday and try my best.

Three years ago I decided to embark on a journey to receive my journalism degree and build a brand in the Los Angeles sports media. My valet job wasn’t flourishing and I felt stuck in the mud with nowhere to go.

I still remember telling an aunt at a family function, right before I was about to enroll at El Camino, that I was going back to school. She looked at me and laughed. I was shocked and a little distraught at her reply.

My wife and I talked it over and she supported me 100 percent, so I became a 35-year-old college student chasing a dream. I said, screw my aunts condescending laugh, and went back to school.

When I was growing up, I played all the main stream sports, however, I fell in love with football. The physical nature of the game enticed me. After my high school football playing days at University High School were over, I kept track of all the local players and I watched as many high school football games as possible.

I always had this idea of creating a website and covering high school football in Southern California but I never acted on it. I wanted to give the local prep football players a platform were fans can read about their games; and it gives players a look into what it’s like to get interviewed and mentioned at a publication.

After freelancing at a website and covering high school football for two years, I enrolled at El Camino in 2013. I started off slow, only taking one class but I felt it would take too long if I went that route so I cranked it up to three classes a semester.

My weekends were taken over by homework and studying. The little spare time I did have was spent with my family. My wife has been my backbone throughout the whole process and has always made sure I had study time at home.

The balancing act was rough at times, but it will all come to fruition when I graduate with an associate of arts degree in journalism. It can be done . I currently have a 2.9 GPA and I’m a semester away from graduating.

My advice for back-to-school adults is, take all your general classes first and then focus on your major. You don’t want to have a Friday night where you have to finish your Political Science homework, study for an Algebra exam and meet a deadline for a story you are working on for the school newspaper.

As my time at El Camino comes to an end, I will take with me the experience of a lifetime with great memories and lasting friendships. I’ve learned perseverance and a determination to finish what I started. It’s not just for me but for my family. I want to leave something behind my girls will be proud of.

Yes, the struggle is real but like Frederick Douglass said, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress.”