College is a stressful time for many students, but it’s also a source of a lot of personal growth. Learning how to prioritize school along with other obligations like a job or clubs is a crucial skill that many people don’t develop until college.
According to a recent Forbes article, “The perks and realities of working in college,” students who work between 10 and 15 hours a week are actually more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree. “Between 10 and 15 hours” are the keywords there. Working can be beneficial, but only in small amounts. As students, we hear warnings all the time against the dangers of working while in school, which are frankly unrealistic for a lot of students.
What the Forbes article says makes sense. Working a part time job is going to teach time management skills, so one can make time to study and complete assignments with the time constraints of class and work time. On top of that, pretty much any work experience, whether it’s related to one’s degree or not, is better than no experience at all when it comes to applying for jobs further down the line.
However, working little hours along with school is not financially possible for everyone. Many people have to work close to full-time hours just to be able to afford monthly payments for school or rent. The article focuses more on the benefits of working few hours rather than shaming students for working more, but it does admit that working more hours can negatively impact grades.
I think everyone should try to balance school and work at some point in their college career, even if it is just working a shift or two a week, but only when/if one feels ready to. Everyone’s college workload is different, and it also varies from year to year. Being in tune with oneself is important in adulthood, especially while in school. No one solution is right for everyone, and no one should be shamed for working many, little or no hours.
