Andrea
Pros and cons of working at the college you're attending?
The university I'm planning to attend has many job opportunities for students to work on campus. I was thinking about doing it as it would help financially and also just to get work experience. Should I? If I do decide to, should I wait until my sophomore or junior years? Or could I handle it my freshman year? #college #university #job #career-path #help #advice
4 answers
Amy Haines
Amy’s Answer
Depending on your university, there are often quite a lot of advantages of taking up part-time work at university as opposed to say, for example, working part-time in a shop. Firstly if you're employed by the university, your employer understands that you are a student. Work is usually flexible for you to fit around your studies and your employer will generally be more understanding if you need to swap shifts/take some time off etc. If you had a part-time job outside of your university, your employer may not be so understanding or flexible.
You are also right, Angela, that job opportunities at university would give you some great work experience to put on your CV and a chance to develop your skills. Employers often look for examples of 'soft skills' such as communication, interpersonal skills, team work skills and ability to work independently. You will develop some of these skills through studying your degree alone, but if you have extra evidence of this through work experience, you will stand out from the crowd once you graduate. Furthermore, students often find that their overall student experience is enhanced by getting more involved with the university.
Of course, the main reason you are studying at university is to get a degree and it is important to keep this as a priority. As for which years would be best for taking on part-time work... that probably depends a lot on your university and your workload. At my university, the workload increased each year and it was easier to take on part-time work in the first couple of years. Why don't you try signing up for one or two job opportunities on campus and see how you get on and how much of a commitment they are? If you find that you do still have some extra time, you could sign up for more. If you are struggling to cope, you can talk to your manager, maybe negotiate doing less hours around busier times of the year etc.
I hope this helps you to make your decision.
Thank you for the helpful advice Amy. I definitely want to take on some part time jobs
Denise Lynch
Denise’s Answer
Yes of course it is a great idea of a getting a job while at school but you don't want to struggle with your course load and being able to get all your school work done plus having to work.
With that being said my son is able to do his classes and he also got a job working a view hours during the week and on weekends. Again every student is different and I highly encourage you to not overwhelm yourself especially if its your first year get yourself on a schedule for school and then see what time you have left over.
Hope this helps and best of luck to you.
Howard Harrison
Howard’s Answer
I think the key consideration for you now is can you handle a part-time job and your current work class load. If you are experiencing any high levels of stress in regard to your classes this year, it would be wise to wait till next yer try and tackle both.
Marisa Chen
Marisa’s Answer
There are also on campus programs that help students pay off tuition, for example, 50% of your pay goes towards tuition and 50% goes to your pay, that way you don't have huge student loans when you graduate. The programs available likely vary school to school, so I would check with your university's financial department to see what they do.