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As a young college student you have many avenues available for funding your
formal education but none will be as satisfying as maintaining paying a position
whether it is full-time or part-time. While there are several sacrifices for
obtaining a job and going to school simultaneously there are many more rewards
that will follow. Many students would like to not work while they are in school
but most have financial obligations that require them to. On the other hand
there are a few students that do not have to or need to work, most cases being
that their parents either saved for their college education or their parents did
not need to save due to their financial prosperity. Some students and parents
look at working and going to school as a negative circumstance but nothing could
be further from the truth. By maintaining a job while you are in college you are
increasing your likelihood of being employed after graduation.
Students that
rely on their wealthy parents to put them through college are in some ways very
fortunate because they then have the ability to solely focus on their studies
without having to juggle both work and school. In the same thought, those
students who do not have to worry about financial obligations would most likely
come across to some as being carefree and maybe some would even think that they
are not mature enough to take on the responsibility of their own finances.
Through their parents these students have access to the finer things in life
without having to work for them, which in some ways re-enforces the lack of work
ethic among this group of students. As long as their parents are involved in
their lives they will not have to work to truly earn something that they want.
Without work experience these students of wealthy parents can have all the money
in the world and all the degrees imaginable but without prior work experience
the chances of them landing a job over someone that has held a position in that
particular field are very slim.
Parents that have saved for their son or
daughter’s college education have given their offspring a significant advantage
because by covering tuition, books, room & board the student is responsible not
only for their living expenses but also their entertainment expenses. A young
college student needs to be responsible for at least some of the expenses they
incur while going to school, thus forcing them to obtain a paying position to
cover their everyday expenditures. It not only teaches them the value of a
dollar but it also prepares them for the career world that they will be entering
in a few short years. Students that are financially responsible for both their
education and for their living expenses are both at an advantage and a
disadvantage. One disadvantage depends on how much financial aid they are
awarded each semester.
If the financial aid does not cover all of their tuition
they may find themselves having to carry the excess into their living expenses
thus causing them to work more hours and have less time for their studies. On
the other hand one of the advantages that they will have is plenty of work
experience once they graduate thus making them very appealing to employers. The
responsibility of having to work either full-time or part-time and attend school
full-time is a huge one and in the long run these people will have a significant
advantage in the working world. The majority of students are in the college or
university system as a student for an average of four years and to not be
employed during that time is only hurting them and their future career
opportunities.
If a student focuses all of his or her attention on academic
performance then that is all that they are going to be efficient at in the “real
world.” Focusing on academics is a necessity but to solely focus on the
hypothetical scenarios that are played out within the four wall of a classroom
without any other actual outside experience puts that student at a severe
disadvantage. Many employers look at prior work experience as a guide on how a
particular person performs in an actual work environment. Also another thing to
think about is that many employers like to see a college level graduate with at
least some work history that involves the field in which they have received
their degree. Having a job while you are enrolled in school most likely will not
hurt your academic performance, your social life maybe, but it truly will help
you achieve the goals that you have selected for your future.
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