Working Student: The Challenges and Benefits
A student’s life consists of self-discovery, school responsibilities, and educational milestones. However, not all students can attend school and meet their fundamental needs. Consequently, becoming a working student is becoming the norm.
As a working student, I can attest to the difficulty of being one. In addition to your work week, you must schedule a time to sit at your desk and study, even when you want to unwind or spend time with family and friends. But despite all the challenges, there’s a bright side to it! But let’s talk about them;
Challenges of being a working student
Lack of sleep
Working college students don’t get enough sleep. Mornings are dreaded, and nights are long. The only time we get any relaxation is on weekends, and even then, we may have an early morning shift. We still have schoolwork to do when we get home, and if it doesn’t take us hours, we might be able to go out with some friends later that night. The decision then becomes whether we’d prefer to catch up on much-needed sleep or have some fun and see how long we can make it through our sleepless days.
No time for extra activities in school
If you’re a working student, you understand how working overtime sounds better than participating in extracurricular activities at school. Of course, it’s not because you don’t want to join in those exciting and enjoyable activities, but that extra income can significantly affect your financial situation.
Little time for your family and friends
You hardly have time for yourself, let alone for others, between balancing homework and working a part-time job. Planning a day to spend with your loved ones might be difficult at times, but once you do, you will feel better and appreciative of the people in your life.
Dealing with stress
Unfortunately, juggling a social life, job, school, and family time is challenging. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, especially when you don’t have much time to unwind. This is certainly not the healthiest way of living, but what can you do? Many college students must work to finance the high expenses of higher education. Learning to manage the stress that comes with being a working college student and ensuring that you have at least one night off per week may drastically reduce your stress levels.
Challenging, right? But don’t worry because, despite that, there are many reasons why working as a student may benefit you in both your academic life and your future job. Do you want to know the benefits of being a working student? Continue reading.
Benefits of being a working student
Earning money
Making money is maybe the most evident benefit of all the advantages. After all, who doesn’t like spending money on a snack or a caffeine boost to get you through a long day or renewing your streaming service membership when you need to unwind and binge-watch your favorite show?
Early experience
It was working while in college gives you real-world experience that will help you once you graduate. Employers prefer hiring students with prior work experience because it exhibits accountability and a strong work ethic. Job experience improves an employee’s credibility; it shows character strength and the capacity to strike a work-life balance.
Create connections
Because of the possibilities, employers may give, many students may opt to search for a job while still in school. Students can use networks to meet, form contacts, and form professional relationships or friendships that can help them in the future as they look for job prospects.
Being smart on money
Working while going to school might teach you about budgeting and establishing good money management habits. Working while a student may help you earn money, whether paying your tuition, debating whether to buy something new or hunting for extra spending. Making your own money may teach you how to save and budget for unforeseen events. It may also enable you to experience paying for expected costs such as groceries or rent, which may give you essential skills before committing to full-time employment.
Being a student is a lot of work! It’s more challenging to be a working student. While we encourage you to work hard for your goals, don’t forget to have fun while you’re doing it. After all, you are still a student.
