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Working part-time and going to college can be done. I'm always very skeptical of people who say they worked full-time and went to college full-time. Do the math and it's pretty hard to make that add up. As far as working a part-time job I had to stay on campus. The town I went to college was very anti-student and didn't hire students.
That seems to be my case, though I live in a city of about 100,000-150,000 last I checked. So I just don't know if I'm looking in the right corners or not just looking hard enough. But thanks for your input.
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Originally Posted by nybbler
Depends on the job. A 9-5er is pretty much impossible, but if you can work odd hours it can be done. It's a recipe for burnout though.
Those are the jobs I've been looking for. Do you know the kinds of jobs university students/college students can work that are odd-hour/flexible jobs?
And did anyone find working while at the university/grad level doable and/or advisable?
Definitely burnout. Let's say you take 12 credits. That's 12 hours of classroom time, 12 hours of reading time and 12 hours of research time (interfacing with professors, phd students, writing proposals and theses) per week. That's 36 hours spent in higher education per week. Sleep 10 hours/day for sleep, hygiene, bodily functions and meals adds up to 70 hours/week. Work for 40 hours/week and that leaves you with 22 hours to take care of everything else you need to (extracurriculars, laundry, shopping, etc). You'll have zero rest.
And that's with just 12 credits. Working and getting an education full-time is extremely difficult to do. Many sacrafice education while working and just do class-work (skipping all the real college learning that occurs outside of the classroom). That's a lot of money to spend on barely getting an education.
Someone who actually understands the math on this one! It's amazing how many people I know can't do the simple math of working and going to college.
Someone who actually understands the math on this one! It's amazing how many people I know can't do the simple math of working and going to college.
I'm a college student about to start a full time course load (13 credits) next week and I'm able to do OK working without interfering with my studies. I'm a security guard on the weekends (8am-8pm, 24 hours a week) for a government consulting firm and I make $13.50 an hour ($20.25 an hour on holidays) to sit at a desk in an office all day. The only 'work' involved is checking a safe every two hours and calling in to a number to make sure I'm there every hour. I can read, bring my laptop, study etc. on the job because I'm there more for insurance purposes. I don't do anything on the weekends anyway and its an easy job which pays my bills. Most students I know have to live with their parents or depend on their parents to pay their rent, I pay most of my own expenses the only thing my parents help out with is my cell phone, medical, and college tuition. I've even been considering taking a second part time job because my weekend job is essentially free time.
Working part-time and going to college can be done. I'm always very skeptical of people who say they worked full-time and went to college full-time. Do the math and it's pretty hard to make that add up. As far as working a part-time job I had to stay on campus. The town I went to college was very anti-student and didn't hire students.
Agreed! A few years ago, I got into a, ahem, "discussion" with someone who claimed to have done just that, even though as you say, doing the math, a person hardly has time to eat let alone prepare meals if doing that. Anyway, I asked this person what his/her major was and s/he wouldn't say. I got the impression s/he was not telling the truth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SkylightMike231
That seems to be my case, though I live in a city of about 100,000-150,000 last I checked. So I just don't know if I'm looking in the right corners or not just looking hard enough. But thanks for your input.
Those are the jobs I've been looking for. Do you know the kinds of jobs university students/college students can work that are odd-hour/flexible jobs?
And did anyone find working while at the university/grad level doable and/or advisable?
Well, as someone said waiting tables is good for all the reasons it's bad for people trying to support themselves doing it, e.g. it's mostly part time, both days and hours. I think retail can be like that too. One of my kids managed to fall into jobs on campus, where the supervisors are MUCH MORE flexible w/student workers than say, the local Dairy Queen.
I worked as a nurses' aid (back in the old days before you needed a cert for that) while in college studying nursing. It did give me some spending money, but if I had it to do over again, I might not do it. Even though I just worked on Sundays 3-11, it did take away some valuable study time.
I'm a college student about to start a full time course load (13 credits) next week and I'm able to do OK working without interfering with my studies. I'm a security guard on the weekends (8am-8pm, 24 hours a week) for a government consulting firm and I make $13.50 an hour ($20.25 an hour on holidays) to sit at a desk in an office all day. The only 'work' involved is checking a safe every two hours and calling in to a number to make sure I'm there every hour. I can read, bring my laptop, study etc. on the job because I'm there more for insurance purposes. I don't do anything on the weekends anyway and its an easy job which pays my bills. Most students I know have to live with their parents or depend on their parents to pay their rent, I pay most of my own expenses the only thing my parents help out with is my cell phone, medical, and college tuition. I've even been considering taking a second part time job because my weekend job is essentially free time.
What kind of a major do you have that you can commit that much time to work?
What kind of a major do you have that you can commit that much time to work?
Right now I'm at a community college taking the pre reqs for an AA in engineering. Granted the classes I'm taking now are relatively easy (Pre-Calculus, Humanities, Intro to Chem, etc.) compared to what ill be taking once I actually transfer to a university and take my major specific courses. Like I said, I currently have no other obligations during the week and my weekend job is essentially getting paid to be at home..a forced study hall of sorts. It's not like I actually have to 'work' at this job, I'm not waiting tables or sweeping floors-it's just passing time so always best to use it wisely. This office has all the amenities of a home..I even have an electric grill I keep there in case I have nothing else to do and feel like cooking.
Also to add a second note, I have had a second part time job twice a week (16 hours) where i was required to stay busy in addition to having this weekend job (24 hours) and classes twice a week in a summer paced course. I did get a bit stressed out so I should probably retract my statement about wanting another part time job. Besides that though my weekend job by itself is definitely manageable.
My degree path was finance (business administration).
My freshman year I was finishing up the reserves which was one weekend a month.
Sophomore year I worked on campus as an accounting assistant and then landed an internship in project management.
At the start of my junior year, a full-time analyst position came open at my work which I applied for and I got it. This is an 8-5 position, with a little flexibility to take one class during the day provided I make up my hours. I did change my area of emphasis to allow more flexibility. I am finishing my last semester now and have a 3.5 GPA.
My weekly schedule would be something like:
Mon Work 8-1, Class 140-420
Tue Work 7-5, Class 730-1005
Wed Work 7-5, Class 730,1005
Thu Work 7-5
Fri Work 7-5
Sat
Sun Class (online)
It was rough...but at the end I had no student loans, did not have to worry about finding a job, and solid work experience.
If you could work a nontraditional schedule or were working part-time/school part-time, it's possible, but working a traditional day shift will conflict with school schedules to the degree that it is impossible to do both.
It can be done. I did and do it. Almost finished with my associate degree, going for the bachelors.
I am 36, went back to school 3 years ago.
I work fulltime, have a house with yard to maintain and go to college fulltime. I also sleep alot, so it is not the case that I study until midnight. If I have to, I take a nap after work.
I partially take online classes, could do them during lunchtime at work. Or I could read a school book during lunch. I have one class currently, where I have to stretch my lunchbreak a bit (school is nearby). I do extremely well with time management, like I go grocery shopping during lunch.
I dedicate Mon-Fri evenings to college and usually keep my weekends clear of schoolwork. If you just work and study, you get frustrated, you gotta have the weekends or some other time dedicated to just FUN.
Yes, it can be done no problem. I went to school full-time (12 credits minimum. Usually more like 15-16), worked part-time 15-25 hours/wk, participated in school groups like band and student council, and still had time for a social life. Burnout? Guess it depends on the personality. I'd burn the midnight oil from time to time, but I never found any of it overly taxing. This was at a school that worked on the quarter system (arguably much faster-paced than the semester system) where I studied for a BS in Manufacturing Engineering.
Mike
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It's amazing how many people I know can't do the simple math of working and going to college.
