Being a college student is like a full time job that requires one to meet deadlines, attend classes, study for exams, work in teams and find time for oneself. This does not only apply to undergraduate students but graduate students too.
Changing gears a little, according to a 2018 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, about 44.7 million Americans have student loan debt which totals up to a massive sum of 1.47 trillion dollars.
“I have about 120K in student loans and I am going to graduate next semester but I have no idea how I am going to pay it all back,” said Anthony Guadganino, a junior Sports Communications major in Bradley.
Hence, most students work one or more jobs during their time in college. A pro of working is graduating with lesser student debt and earning a reasonable income for out-of-school activities.
“I really don’t like working security in my building but I need the money, so I do it,” said Brody Haynes, a residential advisor in University Hall who is also a student at Bradley majoring in actuarial science.
Of the fourteen people who were asked about their jobs and whether they liked it, six of them answered that their jobs were directly/somewhat related to what they will be doing in the future.
“I met my employer last semester at an event off campus. When I told her how much I love working with children, she took my contact information down and got me connected with the school she was working for and now I have an internship with them and a guaranteed full time job after graduation,” said Megan Manst, a junior education major.
Some students worked their jobs for the basic skills one can learn by knowing how to balance school and a job.
“I work two jobs, one on and another off-campus. Even though it can be time-consuming, I have learnt how to manage my time and think forward due to work. Sometimes, I finish studying for a test a week in advance, so that I don’t panic about it later if something drastic does end up happening,” said Brandy Wayne, sophomore political science major.
Even though having a job in college can be a great experience, some students had other points to add.
“I work two jobs and my hours are pretty hectic so I have very limited time to actually sit down and work on stuff for school. It’s good and bad as I am very task oriented and focused for that limited amount of time but at the same time, I do wish I had more time for myself and school,” said Taylor Saucier, senior fashion major.
Combining both undergraduate and graduate students, nearly twenty percent of students have a family to support other than doing school in America, hence, it is not surprising that about fifty percent of students work for at least thirty hours a week.
“I would definitely not to do it any other way just because of the amount of experience I get by working a job even if it’s not related to my degree,” said Paige Holland, a junior biomedical major.