Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
during lunchtime I was a waitress at the downtown department store's restaurant, then I also worked part time at the sporting goods dept at Target. In the summer I also had my own window washing business. Oh, and I did a lot of babysitting. On Saturday for half a day, I was Miss McGregor in the men's dept at an upscale store....I wore a kilt, a shash, beanie, etc. and tried to get men interested in McGreggor sports shirts.... I did all these things for 4 years during undergrad. I also won a small scholarship...that bought a few books! Oh, also sold my blood a few times because I was in a few weddings and that was expensive!
News flash: That's what college students do. Most go to college in the hope that later in life you can avoid doing it.
I went back to school at 27. I had a house and bills by that time so I had to work. The first year I worked at a convenience store. Started part-time but was promoted to assistant manager after about a month because it required all evening and weekend hours and I had evenings and weekends free. I figured out after a while that the manager was dipping into the till on a regular basis. She always eventually paid it back, but it wasn't unusual to run $200-$300 short for several days at a time. Since she was tight with the regional supervisor I figured I'd take the fall if corporate ever found out about it, so I left. I would have had to quit eventually anyway as some of the classes I took later would have interfered with the schedule. Plus the pay was pretty bad for the amount of work required.
Second year I worked as the janitor and maintenance man at a local business skills college (place where you get a certificate to be a paralegal and stuff like that). 20 hours a week, 5am-9am daily, no weekends, plus a few extra hours when they were on break for special projects (painting and such). It worked out pretty well and the pay was decent, they let me go because they had the opportunity to hire the guy who was doing the same job at a neighboring church which appealed to them because he was around later in the day in case they needed something done that couldn't wait until the next morning.
Third year I worked at the local water and wastewater treatment facilities. Started in the summer as seasonal maintenance doing the mowing plus some painting projects and stuff which was great because it was full-time during my break from school. By the time the summer ended a regular part-timer had left and I took his spot. It was pretty much just every other weekend plus being on call for water main breaks every other week. It was a great college job, I was basically just babysitting an automated system so in the course of an 8-10 hour shift I really had maybe 2-3 hours of actual work to do which left plenty of time for studying. The pay was very good and it actually had some benefits. I left only because I had the opportunity to take a full-time job.
The last year I was there I went back to the "career" I had before returning to school. I worked as the morning announcer for a local radio station. Schedule was 5am-10am Monday through Friday and one shift every weekend. The pay was pretty poor for a full-time job but it was better than what I would have made part time. I also managed to pick up a part-time job working afternoons at an auto parts store on the days I didn't have class.
Last edited by duster1979; 07-19-2012 at 02:41 PM..
My work load depended on how many hours I took in college. I usually took one or two classes in the summer and worked full-time, or close to it. In fall and spring semesters, I probably worked 15-20 hours a week on average. I washed dishes in the dorm cafeteria. I painted dormitory walls and repaired desks. I worked at the distance learning center. I recorded bar review sessions for the libraries. Those last three jobs allowed me the use of vehicles from the university motor pool, which saved me money on gas... even though gasoline was as low as $0.77/gallon at the time.
Mostly near-minimum wage jobs during the school year and summers. If you can get a paying internship in the summer, you get a leg up with possible experience in your field. Go for an internship that pays if you can get one. Any internship (paid or not) in your chosen field is better than none.
Last edited by berkeleylake; 07-19-2012 at 04:29 PM..
I went to college on and off, but never graduated. I did get an associates, which really isn't worth much. At any rate, I was always working since HS. When I hit college more intensely, I worked at a medical facility coordinating, archiving, cataloging, building storage spaces for, and directing traffic of medical records. I also undertook a lot of other responsibilities. Everything from ordering office supplies, answering phones, working on building renovations, handy man work... It was a very demanding job to say the least, and required enough energy and attention that I couldn't go to college full time.
I left for nursing school though and worked 2 part time jobs doing at home patient care. One job was for the county I was living in working with the mentally retarded. Awesome job, rather laid back. Pay was fair. In fact, I thought it was generous for a job that basically involved watching TV once all the chores were completed. On a Saturday night, it was common for me to work midnights, 12 hours through. Lots of time for studying. The other job was considerably more demanding. I was taking care of a gentleman who was basically near the end of the road so to speak. He had a stroke years before, but his decline in health forced the family to seek outside assistance. I worked independently for the family, usually about 2 hours a day after class. Hard work actually. He couldn't walk, and I basically had to pick him up and carry him to the toilet. Also had to pick him up to put him in his shower bench, and things like that. Another wonderfully rewarding experience though. I realized how much I truly enjoyed helping people with that job, even if it meant dealing with heavy lifting and yes, plenty of poop.... Rather humbling experience if I may say so myself
I also ran a part time industrial and commercial maintenance and cleaning service during that time. Again, rather demanding on the body. The pay can be great if you work hard, but it's very hard to actually find employees that are willing to work that hard with you. I never had any luck finding anyone who could last more than a couple hours working in industrial press pits with me. One guy literally puked when I opened the floor entrance. When I hear people complain that the young folks don't want to work, it's hard not to feel that statement is true to some extent...
And, on and off, I also worked as a machinist, which is my chosen trade and profession. It was slow for awhile, but I managed to keep busy.
I can honestly say, work got in the way of college for me. I made plenty of money, learned the value of it, and also learned how overly expensive education is in this day and age. I'll keep my money and they can keep their education
I worked at a bakery 4 nights a week and all day on Saturdays (which is where I met DH, but that's another story). I lived at home (where my parents didn't charge me for rent or food) and took public transportation to school and work, so I didn't have car expenses.
I worked in the cafeteria of the dorm I lived in. I got the job from a senior who was graduating when I came in as a freshman and she offered me the job. I took it, and worked several shifts. It was the best job I ever had. Truly and for all the right reasons.
@veuvegirl I was actually thinking of bartending, but I have no experience bartending, I was going to try and save up to take the bartending class, do you think it's necessary to take the classes?? Or try to start out as a bar back & work my way up?
I worked two jobs and went to school around them. My day job was usually something office related and night/weekend job was waitress. Earned an A.S. and A.A. this way and most of my BA. Finally, finished my BA online as a self-employed mom. Now, if a person must work fulltime I'd recommend looking at online classes - so much easier to manage.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
