You’re Telling Me Work is Good for You?

In my last post, Work as a Study Tactic-Is This For Real?, I discussed how working during college can improve your GPA and help with time management. The article 7 Reasons to Work Your Way Through College lists multiple reasons why working during college is beneficial to you.

The article lists improved grades and time management along with earning money, building your resume, and career experimentation. These are the other three reasons that I see as most the most beneficial reasons to work.

First of all, who doesn’t love a little extra money. However, in my case, and I’m sure many of you as well, I have to work to get through school.

Building your resume is an essential part of working. How many jobs are going to take you seriously if you have no previous work experience? Even part-time jobs, like the jobs you work in college, look good on a resume. These jobs also provide you with important skills and experience that you can carry over into school and then eventually carry along with you into your future career.

College is also a good time to experiment with jobs. It’s a time that you can try out different jobs and see what type of career you may be interested in in the future. Experimenting with jobs in college also provides you with a wider variety of skills to carry with you into your workplace in the future.
All-in-all, working during college can be highly beneficial to you not only in college, but also in your future career. While it may seem like a pain now, those part-time jobs will help you in the long-run!

Just a Good Time, or a Full-Time Job?

BY RACHEL ROTH

IOWA CITY—A survey conducted of ten University of Iowa students found that seven out of ten students have part-time jobs; however, of those seven students, only two of them were completely independent from their parents. The other students involved in the survey have parents who pay either their rent, their tuition, or in some cases even both.

It is slightly staggering to think that of ten students, only two of them are not dependent on their parents. This is, however, a growing trend among college students. Many of them have parents who are willing to take out loans in order to pay for their children’s school. It is a “I want my children to have the things I never had” mentality.

“I don’t know how I would do it if my parents didn’t pay for my rent,” said Ashlee Venema, a junior at the University of Iowa. “I put a lot of time into my schoolwork, and I know that I would not be able to support myself and be a full-time student if that were the situation I was put in.”

Alyssa Langan, also a junior at the university, currently works three jobs and takes out student loans to support herself.

“It gets really tough sometimes when I’m scraping for money and know that my rent is due soon. And I know a lot of people just take out loans to cover things like rent, but loans are something you have to pay back, which also makes it difficult,” said Alyssa.

She Works Hard for Her Money

Along with being a full-time student, Alyssa also works as a cashier at the Iowa Memorial Union, is a sales associate at Express in Coralville, and also works at the UI Foundation as a telefund specialist.

“My weekly schedule is hectic,” said Alyssa. “I rarely have time to just sit at my house with my roommates. If I’m not at class or working one of my jobs, I’m usually at the library trying to stay caught up on schoolwork.”

Langan’s schedule on an average day requires her to either be at work or in class for 75% of the day.

On the weekends, Langan usually pulls double duty, working at least two of her jobs a day.

Sunday her schedule usually is as follows: work at Express open until 2:30 p.m. After working at Express, Alyssa usually works at Telefund from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. After work she often heads to the library to find time to work on homework.

“She works like a fool,” said Alyssa’s roommate, Jenna Lensmeyer. “We hardly see her. How she has any social life sometimes mystifies us.”

Being a Grown-Up

A lot of college students are forced to ‘grow up’ a lot earlier than other students. For those who are on their own through college this is the ultimate truth.

“I am the definition of poor college student,” said Alyssa. “I feel like all I do is work and yet somehow I can’t seem to actually save any money. It’s pretty depressing.”

On top of paying $500 per month in rent, a steep price thanks to Iowa City’s cost of living, Alyssa also has countless other bills to pay, much like many other students. She pays rent, credit card bills, school bills, and regular living expenses like water, electric, food, clothing, etc.

“Sometimes it gets really hard. Like my roommates will say they’re going to go do something and I have to weigh whether it’s worth spending my money because I know that I have to pay rent soon,” Alyssa says of her roommates, who are financially dependent upon their parents.

So the next time you hear someone say “College students complain so much; college is the best and easiest time in your life,” think of Alyssa, and other students like her, where college isn’t always “just a good time,” but in fact just surviving can be hard work.