8 Pros & Cons of Working Part-Time for Students

By Contributing Author

Every student has at least once in their college years faced the problem of not having enough money. Not everybody is skilled enough to earn a scholarship and even fewer people can get constant support from their family. This leads many young people to get part-time or even full-time jobs.

There are multiple things a student can do. Some think that nobody wants to hire an inexperienced candidate. But in reality, if you can prove your skills, you can land nearly any entry-level job. The range is from working in the essay writing service.

Yet, for a student, a full-time job means a lot of missed classes, problems with professors, and constant exhaustion. This is why so many opt for a part-time job. However, that option, too, has a lot of drawbacks. In this article, we will weigh the pros and cons of working part-time for students.

Pros

Stable Income

This is probably the most valuable factor that lures the majority into the real world. And it’s not surprising. Students never have enough money to sustain themselves, not to mention those who need to support their families. Having an extra something to spend on yourself or send to your relatives comes with amazing feelings of adulthood and pride.

Keep in mind, though, that you need to carefully think it through before taking any steps. Try not to do it for the money only. Your education is still important, regardless of how much you can make.

Financial Education

Another great merit of having a part-time job for a student is being able to educate yourself financially. Once you get your first paycheck, you will have to delegate your budget and carefully think about expenses. You’ll need to care how much exactly you spend on your housing, basic needs like food and recreation.

Your first salary will probably disappear as soon as the money touches your wallet. However, with time, you will have to teach yourself to properly distribute your earnings so that you’re not empty-handed by the end of the month.

Time Management

Having to work, whether it’s full- or part-time, comes with lots of responsibilities. Your professors are likely to be careless about the fact that you have to support yourself or your family. Many will not cut you any slack unless you’re on really good terms with them. This only means one thing – you have to become Hermione Granger and learn to be in multiple places at once. 

Make sure that your employer knows you are a student and your work schedule is as flexible as it can be. There are jobs that will only require your presence on the weekends. Or, you could work 11 or 12-hour shifts, but only once a week. 

That is, of course, a very exhausting endeavor but you gotta do what you gotta do. Besides, the time management skills you’ll get after this will serve you for the rest of your life.

Work Experience

This one is undeniable. If you do manage to find a job that is relevant to your major, you’ll be the luckiest person alive. Being able to practice the knowledge you receive in class immediately after is a sure way to become the best student. Not to mention the fact that you will be graduating with years of experience and valuable skills. 

And even if you don’t get the job in a relevant field, you will still gain a lot of soft and hard skills. Learning to communicate has never harmed aтyone. Apart from that, you will see how different work processes are organized and learn work ethics.

Networking

This one might be a bit less obvious, but every new workplace you find yourself in can be turned into a networking opportunity. This doesn’t mean that you have to turn every person you know into a customer. However, keep people’s talents and abilities in mind and maybe someday, you will be able to resort to those.

Having good relationships with certain people might push you up the career ladder. Or, you might find people who majored in the same discipline as you, and they will help you with a piece of advice on academics.

Cons

Lack of Time

Unfortunately, this is a reality that you will have to face. The moment you get hired, you will start to lack time for everything. This is the point when you will have to learn to prioritize and make hard choices nearly every day. 

Choosing between a party or writing an essay will become your new reality. A good way out of this can be planning ahead and making a schedule for yourself. Arrange meetings ahead of time, keep all your college deadlines written down, set alarms and notifications. This can help you ensure that you don’t forget about anything or anyone.

Tiredness

Exhaustion will become your new constant state until you learn to live with it and accept it as a part of yourself. Juggling studies and work, even if it’s part-time, will be complicated. Your professors will demand you to be present at every class or lecture and your boss can fine you for being late.

There are only a few things you can do in this case. One of them is negotiating with your professors. But that communication might not end up being fruitful as people like to be stubborn sometimes. Another way to solve this can be looking for a student-friendly job in the first place. There are many companies that specifically employ students and you can try looking for one like that.

Thoughts About Dropping Out

Thoughts about quitting college for the sake of real experience have come to nearly every working student out there. And that is natural. Especially if you get a highly-paid job or the one that is relevant to the major you’ve chosen. 

In certain cases, that might even be the right thing to do. However, you should also keep in mind that you will have the rest of your life to work. College years are unique in the way that students are mostly in their prime years. It also gets much harder to learn new things with age. So think twice before making such a critical decision.

Final Thoughts

Working in college has many pros and cons. Every person’s situation is different and you might have your own reasons to take this step. Yet, money and financial freedom are the major drivers when it comes to students. Give this decision some time, don’t rush it, and weigh all the arguments for and against before stepping into this double-life.

Photo: By Avel Chuklanov / Unsplash