When I was in college, nearly everyone in my program who had previously been working had quit their jobs, in the name of focusing on their education. I worked retail at the time, and decided to keep the job, working evenings and weekends. If you’re newly starting college, whether or not to work is probably a debate you’ve been having, too. It’s an important question. Juggling time between school and work can be difficult, but that doesn’t mean you should quit. Here are the pros and cons. In brief, though: It’s a time management challenge, but the experience and cash will help you.
More money in your pocket
Money may be tight in college, so having more of it can be a very useful thing. Everyone’s financial situation is different, so some people might need to work during school to stay afloat, while others don’t. Even if you don’t need to, it’s good to have some cash saved up, and it’s good for a rainy day, or when you forget your lunch or need a cup of coffee. Plus, getting paid will help teach you to manage your money.
Less time on your hands
Most of those classmates of mine who quit did so out of a need to balance their free time, and that’s a valid issue to address. No matter what way you cut it, you shouldn’t skip classes to do a shift at your job, and some workplaces are less flexible than others. I was fortunate enough to have worked at a job where there was flexibility around my school schedule, but that won’t always be the case. So, you need to learn to schedule and balance your school time, work time, and free time. In fact, learning to manage your time is an important life experience.
More knowledge in your head
Job or no job, time and money management are only going to be more and more useful as you get older, no matter where your career takes you, so learning it now will only help you. Those aren’t the only skills you can get from working while you’re in school, though, and even part-time retail work can actually be relevant to your future. As to where you work, it doesn’t matter as much as you think. Almost any career you have will involve front-facing customer interaction, bosses to report to, teamwork and important deadlines, all things a job in school will teach you about. Leadership, management, problem-solving, and customer service skills are always good to have.
More stuff on your resume
Don’t take the ability to find and keep a job for granted. Once you’re out, it can be hard to get back in, and you don’t want too much of a resume gap where you aren’t employed, which will make getting your career going harder. Sticking with a job through school means you have a bit of a fallback plan when you graduate, if there’s a gap between graduating and starting your career, as well as more items to put on that all-important resume.
By Anthony Geremia