Working While in College
Depending on your situation, you may:
- Attend school part time and work full time.
- Attend school full time and work part time.
- Attend school full time and work full time.
Whatever the case, working while you're in college can be good, bad or both as far as academics go. Working gives you life skills that transfer to future jobs, and of course, working provides money for your tuition. On the other hand, working more than 20 hours a week while handling a full course load can make it hard to succeed in school and add physical and emotional stress.
Your most important job (and one you're spending a lot of time, money and effort on) is to be a student. If you need to reduce work hours but still need more money, try to:
- Talk with your financial aid office about financial assistance you might qualify for.
- Find internships that will allow you to earn college credit, reducing your tuition bill.
- Earn extra money with summer and holiday jobs to make up for missing work hours during the academic year.
- Take a higher-paying job that will let you work fewer hours for the same amount of money.