By Will Stadler
Each day is filled with something society might be straying away from; hard work. Who else wants to wake up to an early workout session before logging on to job number one at 7:30 a.m.? Next thing you know it’s noon and time for a quick lunch break before starting job number two for Nick Tyler, a senior at William Peace University.
Finally, it’s 3:30 p.m. and the day seems to be over; but not quite. Baseball practice and homework await the last seven hours of the day before a coveted bedtime. There is no time to be wasted in the life of someone who strives for maximum success in multiple dimensions.
Tyler who works two part-time jobs, attends full-time school, and plays a collegiate sport.
“I always want to make the most out of every opportunity I get,” says Tyler. “Work ethic is a non-negotiable for me, I will always work as hard as I can to get the most out of life.”
Background
Tyler was born and raised in Zebulon, NC, the easternmost town of Wake County. Nick is one of two children to his parents, Mark and Pam. Pam, who instilled in him an ambition for success and a work ethic that is seldom matched.
Tyler attended Corinth Holders high school in Wendell, NC where he developed a love for numbers and sports.
Tyler is now a senior at William Peace University and is one of 12 seniors on Peace’s baseball team, where he has been an everyday starter since his sophomore year.
Current Lifestyle
Tyler has always taken school very seriously and raised the bar when he made his college decision. Tyler is a member of the university’s honors program and holds a 4.0 GPA.
Athletically, Tyler received a USA South all-tournament team selection after the 2023 USA South conference tournament. Last season, Tyler played in 44 of the team’s 47 games, starting in center field each time.
Tyler is adamant about always striving to be productive and get the most out of each day possible.
“On a normal day, I will wake up around 6:15 a.m. Next, I get a small breakfast and log straight onto work. Around lunchtime, I will take a short break and work out. After lunch I go to my admissions job for about an hour. Finally, I attend baseball practice which usually lasts 3 hours. Any homework or emails I have from the day get done right before I go to sleep,” says Tyler
Every weekday is filled with the same amount of balancing efforts. Tyler understands that it’s a lot at one time, but there is a key strategy that he firmly stands by.
“Time management is the biggest thing, setting yourself a schedule is important,” says Tyler. “Keeping a calendar for yourself, along with aligning your priorities will allow you to get the most amount of work done as possible”
At the end of the day, Tyler doesn’t see himself as superhuman for completing this packed schedule. “Just don’t be lazy,” says Tyler. “Employers are looking for people with experience and for people who can handle a full schedule.”
Words from a Friend
Tyler doesn’t view himself as working harder or being better than anyone else around him. However, those who have been around Tyler believe that it’s hard to miss the fact that his work ethic is the gold standard.
“Nick’s work ethic is hard to imagine,” said Alex Levesque, Tyler’s former high school teammate and current catcher at William Peace University.
Levesque said Tyler is always present even though he has essentially worn three different hats before coming to practice that day “No one really understands how hard he works each and every day,” Levesque says.
“We all hear how hard it is to be a student-athlete. How about a student-athlete-employee, is there even a way to measure how difficult that must be?” says Levesque.
Tyler’s peers look up to him, his coaches admire him, his employers need him, and his teachers love him. Nick Tyler leads by example, showing how to get the most out of life’s roller coaster experience.