A student in college shows us how he’s able to work full time while juggling a full class schedule. Here’s how he’s paying for college by working hard and playing hard!
SVB: I’d like to welcome Studenomist from Studenomics as our guest contributor for today! Studenomics is a personal finance blog geared towards current students and new graduates. If you enjoy this post, we hope you’ll consider subscribing to his RSS feed.
Not all of us students have the benefit of a 529 college savings plan or a college savings account to help fund our studies. So what are some of the options available for helping us pay our way through college?
It might not be a popular idea, but one such option is to work full time.
Do people tell you not to work while at college? Is this good advice? Well yes and no. Yes if you actually plan to devote all of your time to your studies. And no, if you want to be realistic about your financial situation. But let’s be honest, do we really spend every breathing moment on our studies?
People often ask me about why I work full time while taking a full load of courses in University. The answer for me is simple, students often lie to themselves by saying they will focus on their studies 100%. What actually happens is that students spend the whole day doing irrelevant activities and postponing their studies for later. I would rather be working, making money, and finishing school with no debt as opposed to spending all of my time on Facebook or watching American Idol.
How To Work Full Time While in College
If you’re wondering whether a full time work load is something you can pull off, maybe I can show you how I’ve done it. Here’s how I balance my full time work schedule with my full time class schedule:
1. Optimize your time.
Why not spend your Facebook time on working and making money? If you really want to keep up with all of the latest gossip then maybe you should try getting a job at the same place where your friends work. Where I work at the moment, I initially didn’t know anyone, but I’ve since made friends and have gotten to know many co-workers well. So these days, I get the benefit of seeing my friends while I get paid doing my job. Nice!
2. Watch out for good work opportunities.
If you’ve decided not to work because you’ve had no luck finding the “right” kind of job, don’t feel bad. You may be looking in the wrong places, or may need to do more with your job hunt. Below are a few ideas for work suitable for college students.
On Campus: Teaching Assistant, Department Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Reception Clerk, Security Guard, and the list goes on to include positions in every department within the school.
Off Campus: Paid Intern related to your area of study, a part-time Junior Assistant in your area of study, Retail Worker, Food and Beverage Server, or Private Tutor (granted that you have really excelled in a particular field).
3. Prioritize your activities.
School work should always come first. Don’t work if you have an exam the next day or a ton of homework. There are only two times during a semester where I take time off from work: during midterm exams and final exams. I make sure I focus 100% on my studies during these periods. Beyond these periods, I put in my work hours.
4. Seek balance.
The trick is to try to find time for everything — and I mean everything. This includes school, work, family, friends, the significant other, and whatever else adds value to your life. My girlfriend knows that I am extremely busy on certain days of the week. However she also knows that there are evenings when we can spend time together for as long as she wants. My friends also know that I don’t drink every weekend, but when I do, we’ll all have a fun time.
5. Reward yourself.
As much as I talk about saving money and being focused on my blog, I still believe that everyone deserves a break once in a while. When I take a break I usually travel down south to avoid the harsh Canadian winter. Others will spend a weekend at their favorite vacation spot or go to a concert of their favorite band.
6. Keep your mind on the bigger picture.
I think about the bigger picture. There are going to be nights during the school year when I don’t get enough sleep and there will certainly be some parties that I will miss. Even so, what keeps me going is the realization that I’ll be able to complete college with no debt and with enough money invested and saved to allow me the freedom to be selective about the first job I take after I graduate.
There are of course, some college programs that are so intense that students in these courses are really way too busy to do much else than study. I believe my advice here applies best to those students who usually just find themselves on Facebook, MSN or at the local bar.
Parting Thoughts
Hopefully I haven’t come off as too preachy because believe me I’m far from it! I’m just a young guy who believes in working hard while youth is on my side (though a little partying is cool) so that when I complete my studies, I won’t have to worry about paying off any student loans or feeling the pressure of taking the first job that comes my way.
Students are drowning in debt like never before. People in their 20s are making financial decisions that are setting them on the wrong path in life. Young people are working at jobs that they don’t like because they feel that they are stuck without any options. My goal for Studenomics.com is to be able to provide students like myself with helpful information and financial guidance through personal stories and experiences. I hope that the stories and tips I share will prove helpful to young people who are interested in achieving their own financial goals.
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This is a refreshing and commendable attitude. Keeping your mind on the bigger picture is especially great advice.
I liked working in college. I was a computer science major and I wanted something that got me away from the expected lab monitor/teaching assistant job that other CS majors were taking. I decided to work as a campus bus driver. It was totally cool. I got a commercial driver’s license, learned how to drive a 26 foot bus, and got to “turn” my brain off for a while a few times a week and just drive around the campus and nearby cities. I met a load of people also.
Joe
I think seeking balance is the best advice that you gave here. Finding time for everyone is not an easy task for everyone including every essential work..
I was lucky enough that my parents paid for my whole college education. No loans at all. But after a one semester I got a part-time job because I just had too much time on my hands and felt like a total bum. But a full-time job? I’m glad I didn’t have to go through that. The social part of college, even if it is just sitting in a room and watching American Idol (or Joe Millionaire, in my case) is worth something.
Besides, college is the last chance you’ll have to really “relax” so if you have the opportunity not to work full time, I say go for it.
I also worked through college – I didn’t graduate with no debt, but I have absolutely no debt at all from anything other than part of my tuition.
I will say that there are some schools and majors where working full time is not possible – for example, as an engineer, I usually had two or three classes a semester with 20+ hours of homework/projects a week, each. But there’s definately no reason not to work at least 10-20 hours a week.
I worked full-time during school. I did a lot of freelance design on the side, and I worked on campus as a web designer as well…
I found it difficult to balance my time, but it certainly taught me how to be organized, efficient and not just loll the day away when I had work and only 3 hours for an assignment.
Fabulously Broke in the City
“Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.“
I really admire people who’ve been able to juggle school and work obligations. In my case, I guess I’d be described as one of those people with an “intense” college course who just studied all the time. I attended a university where the computer science course is considered “impacted” or very tough to get into. You couldn’t declare your major until you were an upper classman. So for me, I felt a lot of pressure the first two years in college, especially since I came in as a foreign student. Not only that, I was experiencing massive “culture shock” about living in co-ed dorms after being raised in all-girl schools for all my life. :-/
I’m an engineering major and wouldn’t recommend working full-time while in school. Part-time is good and forces to manage your time well. If you did full time, you just wouldn’t have enough time to keep up your grades. You are paying so much money for tuition that it probably doesn’t make sense to take a few extra years to graduate just so you can work full time.
I was one of the one’s who didn’t work through college and didn’t study much either. However, I did graduate, but with roughly $17,000 in student loans. I always thought it would be no problem to pay back once I got that lucrative job upon graduation. The lucrative job didn’t happen, and one of the major reasons is because I had no work experience.
If I’d known then what I know now I would’ve done it way different. I didn’t think about the other debts that would come along after college, the marriage, the house, the car, and the list can go on and on.
If you have time to work during college, then absolutely work. They say college is the best time of your life, but trust me, you don’t want the best part of your life over by 25. So work to make your future the best part of your life.
I didn’t work full time, but I had two part-time jobs and an internship. That kept me busy enough. Based on my experience, those that do work while in school are able to adjust more to the “real life” than those that don’t.
Also, I’m lucky that Facebook didn’t exist when I was in school. Then I never would have got a job!
I would say that balance is the key to success in school as well as work.
I can relate! In my case, scholarships were the answer. I leveraged my perfect test scores and GPA to get all of my college expenses paid for.
Thanks for the feedback guys! I definitely agree that some majors are so intense that working full time is totally out of the picture. However, I’m glad most of us could admit that working a few hours a week is feasible. One thing I forgot to mention is that by working now you are more prepared for the real world. I got friends who are starting their careers and are having a difficult time adjusting. Think about it, when you’re in school all you have to worry about is making it to class on time a couple of times a week and working on assignments on your own time. When you get a job you’ve got to work from 9-5 (or whatever the hours may be) with strict deadlines, assignments with vague outlines, and whole office politics issue.
The bright side about working while in college is that you could work a “fun” job or one that does not require a lot of stress/thinking. Once you enter the real world you have to worry about all the stress and constantly trying to move up the ladder.
I worked while in community college, but didn’t work much when I transferred to the 4-year school, and I have loans to show for it. It is so true what you say — many hours were spent playing Super Tetris on Nintendo 64 and putting off studying, instead of just finding something worthwhile with my time.
Looking back, I sure did enjoy all those times hanging out with my friends, but in hindsight, I wouldn’t have missed very much quality time with them even if I had worked more.
I worked full-time and went to school full-time, as did my college boyfriend. We both agreed that it helped us immensely, both financially and personally. It was a large part of making us who we are today–hard-working, ambitious people who appreciate what we have. I didn’t have a lot of “free time” but believe me, even with the job and my classes, we found plenty of time to party and hang out with our friends!
The only downside is that I was unable to participate in any extra-curricular activities, such as the school paper and other organizations, due to my work schedule.
Also–Sam, I disagree about not being able to get good grades while working full-time. I graduated cum laude, and I was a fraction away from graduating magna cum laude!
I did not work in college but looking back at it wish I did. There were semesters where I had more free time and could have utilized it better if I worked and to make some extra side money which easily could have come in handy.
I go to school full time and work for Vector Marketing about 20-30 hours per week. I love my job because my hours are so flexible. I think another good point is to know your own limit so that you don’t get overwhelmed and either your work or school grades don’t suffer. It’s not easy to do both, but it is possible.
It depends upon your financial condition. One who has enough money won’t need to work while in college. Otherwise, I agree that you should work while in college if you can manage your time well.
I worked anywhere from 10 to 40 hours, with 1-3 jobs during school. Graduated with about $15k in student loans. By the end I was so burned out. It also took me longer, because I couldn’t manage a heavier course load. At the same time I couldn’t work less, because I couldn’t afford to. I was also one of those people who really did spend all their time doing school work though. Going out was taking my homework to a coffee shop.
If I did it again, I would have done a co op or got summer internships and not worked during the semester if I could manage it. I would have then taken an additional class or two to finish quicker which would have made it cheaper overall.
Oh, I love this article! It amazes me to see the number of college kids that practically freak out if they have to work while in school. I’ve been doing it for years! I work full-time at a credit union, freelance write full-time, go to school full-time, and try to find the time to work on my personal writing (screenplays and novels). I keep very busy. The best piece of advice I can give, and this goes along with Studenomist’s # 1, make a schedule and follow it through. I set my times very carefully and I stick to them. That’s not to say that some things don’t come up and blow my schedule right out the door. But, by staying focused on the end result, I’m able to find a balance between work and school. Now, finding the balance with my personal life is always a challenge. But, I do make one day a week the time where I get to spend with friends and family, and that’s really all I do that day.
I think it’s possible for college students to work full-time jobs, obviously, as there are those of us doing it. I think college students have to want to do it. Not having a mountain of debt when I finish school was the motivating factor for me.
Working during college not only gives you extra income but it also helped me gain some ‘real world’ experience. I wasn’t particularly interested in ‘on campus’ jobs because most of it were not related to what I wanted to do in the future.
This blog post is great advice especially regarding managing our time, juggling college studies and work. great job.
Thanks everyone for commenting on my guest post, I really appreciate the feedback and enticing conversation. I want to thank SVB once again for trusting me and allowing me to post my thoughts on this blog. I hope that everyone has a chance to check out my blog briefly do see if they enjoy it.
Working during college is a great idea – it teaches you to be responsible with your time and money, and you get out with less debt than you would have if you hadn’t worked. But I am not sure if it is feasible for most people to work full time during college. I remember having lots of problem sets, projects, office hours, team meetings etc. to attend to during the evening. But I think working part-time is very feasible, and worth doing for all the reasons you mention in this post.
I work on campus full time and go to school—and get my tuition and fees dramatically reduced. This time around, I’m not taking out student loans for my graduate degree (I already have $56,000 hanging over my head at 8.25% interest rate). It’s the absolute best way to get through college, whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate student: make a decent salary, get some work experience, have health benefits, and GET THOSE TUITION BENEFITS!!
Hey hi.. That was the coolest post i have ever seen. It really rocks. I have learnt many things after reading your wonderful post about this topic. You can check out stuff and various helpful things about college students in my blog.
Great post. I worked throughout college and I think that there are many benefits. I had a terribly hard time prioritizing, though. I would sometimes choose to work rather than go to class – clearly a poor choice!
The number one piece of advice I give everyone going to college is “go to class.” If you do that, the rest usually comes pretty easy.
Good luck!
Good guest post, Studenomics. Far too many students I’ve encountered don’t do anything to help improve their financial situation while in college, and instead just pile on debt. It’d be nice if every incoming freshman had to take a course on money and time management; that way, they’d have a better idea of how to get the most out of their educational experience. Of course, it’ll be tough to convince them to follow it…
i work part-time in which i drive about an hour everyday and go to school full-time…i work at walgreens warehouse where I make about 12.75 an hour..i spend about $100.00 every two weeks on gas…its really exhausting..would any of you guys do this?
Some people really cannot work and go to school, both full time. I tried working full time and going part time to school and couldn’t do it for more than 1 semester. It is too stressful and draining for me. Some people can do it, I applaud those. I support myself 100% financially, so there is not the option of working part time. I hope people realize how lucky they are if they do get to not work or work only part time while going to school. It is a real luxury.
Hello all, I’m 22 and just began college for a major in Network Administration. I recently had a job offer doing sink hole repair here in my home state of Florida. Seeing everyones’ words of wisdon and experience has given me good faith in myself that it CAN be done. I really do not want to graduate to a pile of debt so I’m going to push myself as much as I can handle. Thanks again for all of the advice and real-world knowledge.
This blog was simply amazing, I am a full time student, currently a sophomore. My parents kicked me out of my house about a month ago, so right now I am residing at one of my friend’s house. We are moving into our first apartment at the end of the summer and I am looking in to working full time at my work. (Pei Wei) This blog helped me out a lot, I am very scared in entering the real world. The good thing is that, I have pre paid college, so I dont really need to worry about paying for school. Reading this blog made me feel a lot better about being an adult. So, I just wanted to say thanks, and good luck to everyone out there!
Everyone,
I truly appreciate all your stories, comments and inspiring thoughts for those entering the real world or tackling college on their own. I agree, it CAN be done — you just have to set priorities and stay organized and disciplined throughout it all. If anything, this is a wonderful character building experience for those facing the challenge AND opportunity of being independent for the first time in their lives. Great learning experiences are ahead of you! I remember when I first set foot on the US with some of the jitters you’d expect a foreign student (with no family around) to have when they enter the competitive world of an American University. To this day, I count those years as very influential to the way I turned out. So good luck to all students! You can all do it!
Were are you guys going to school so cheap? $15000 for a college education? Im a sophmore and already $20000 in debt which will be creeping around $50000 + once I graduate! I work full time and go to school full time, I have a house, car, bills and other expenses that are covered by the money I make working, however I couldnt afford to go to school and live on my salary. Thats why Im in debt.
I’ve had it relatively easy, having essentially my first two years covered, with a 90% for next year. I’ll be paying out of pocket senior year, so I’ve decided to try and work full-time this year. While I haven’t found work yet, I’m looking, and one way that I was able to do this was by stacking classes all in one block. Ex: MWF I have class from 8 AM to 12:50, with a lab at 3:30-5:30 on Monday, and one class TTh from 2-3:40. This leaves me with ample time to work full time, study, and practice karate. All one has to do is find one or two jobs, and work large blocks of time.
To Adam, I attend the University of Minnesota Morris, live off campus, and work. If I were to live on-campus, I would be paying close to $20,000, but because I live off-campus, have no meal plan, I am able to save $5000, so by working full time, I would be able to pay off my $14,000 in tuitions, fees, rent, and food quite easily.
Wow I didn’t realize that this conversation was still going on. A lot of you guys seem to be stressed by the thought of working full time while studying so I have some good news. I spoke with SVB today and she confirmed it would be alright if I did another guest post here on The Digerati Life. So expect a follow up from me with some more tactical tips on working full time while studying.
Yes, I look forward to having Studenomics here again, as he has some truly great perspectives on finance as a young person navigating the world of money and education at this point in time. Full time work while putting yourself through school is definitely a hot topic!
I work as a “perioperative tech” at LVHN& one of my benefits is tuition reimbursement. The only problem is that i have to be a full-time employee to get the benefit & be a full time student to get financial aid. Technically I won’t be paying for school but everyone keeps telling me that it’s going to be hard, going to school in the morning & working afternoons 5 days of the week.