Working In College Pros And Cons

College students across the board face this question sooner or later, “…do I work right now too or focus on school alone?”

Consider these working in college pros and cons when deciding if you want to bear both of those responsibilities simultaneously.

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Working In College Pros And Cons List:

Income

College is expensive, even with help.

Despite scholarships and other financial aid bearing most of the load, you’ll still face out of pocket expenses. Having a job while in school provides:

• Guaranteed income to handle unexpected bills
• Peace of mind about not being broke
• Spending money to use for meals or other fun activities

Extra money is never a bad idea.

Resume Building

College work helps your resume.

Holding down a job during college lets future employers know: You can balance difficult schedules, You have a good work ethic.

Another benefit is you can gain valuable contacts who’ll provide future recommendations. College work also provides a chance to network with other potential employers at events.

Helpful Experience

No matter the job, work experience will benefit you.

Working in a professional environment will help you:

• Sharpen your communication skills
• Find solutions to multiple kinds of problems
• Improve conflict resolution skills
• Find common ground with different employees

All of these qualities will help you when looking to start your post-college career.

Networking

Use your job to network for the future.

The people you work with while in college can help influence where you end up afterward. If you’re working a job just to get through school then make sure to be polite and professional.

This tip applies to both regular coworkers and management. Why? Because it’s very possible that someone you worked with directly or knows someone that you worked with can help arrange a future job interview.

Time Management Improvement

Keeping a job during school will improve your time management.

If being late is a problem of yours, then you’ll fix it quickly while holding down a job. Why? Because if you’re late to work enough times, you will simply be let go.

The main task you’ll have to handle is balancing your class load with your job schedule. Because of different classes every semester, you will always need to juggle your time responsibilities.

Persistent Exhaustion

Be prepared to face sleep deprivation.

Juggling work and a full class schedule will wear you down. Both physically and mentally, your energy will be tested.

If your time management is good, you will have at least some breaks for rest. However, if you find that your health is starting to get worse because of sleep deprivation, then you’ll have to reassess your priorities.

Stress

It’s easy to feel burned out while juggling work and study.

Between going to class and holding down a job, getting burned out is a real possibility. College alone places a lot of burden on your brain and nerves.

Now add a job which has its own responsibilities and deadlines to maintain for money. For some students, the stress becomes too much to handle.

Lack Of Free Time

If you work and go to college simultaneously, be prepared to only do both.

While you may still have time to spend with friends, chances are it won’t be much time. If you don’t like rejecting invitations or need tons of free time, then consider how much you want to work and study together.

In order to meet the demands of both goals, you will sacrifice most of your free time.

Chance Of Quitting College

Many students will leave school for short-term money.

Lots of students eventually choose to quit the grind and stick with the money they’re already making. Especially if it’s a job that’s high paying, it’s easy for students to forgo waiting for a diploma to earn as much money as they can now.

While many students do become entrepreneurs without degrees, it’s always a good idea to have one, just in case.

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