College kid questions

[bjl584]

During undergrad, I only worked during holiday breaks and over the summer. I could have had part time employment during school and still been able to maintain grades and social activities. Given the chance to do it again I would work. I think it would have kept me more grounded and help me prioritize better. No staying out late as much because I would have had work to juggle into my schedule. Plus, having some extra money coming in would have been nice.

[MonkeyMama]

I agree with the others. Just wait and see, and is very individual. I'd keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities that would cover some spending money, but might make more sense to just work during the summers.

[Thrif-t]

meh, my opinion is kind of the opposite. the classes in the first 2 years of undergrad are the easiest you're ever going to get, especially if you choose harder majors.

You know what, that is usually correct.

Our experience was the opposite. My kids took their college electives in high school, so when they started college they jumped in to some harder classes.

I'm on the fence about taking college classes in high school. On one hand I liked the savings, on the other they got screwed because while the credits for those classes transferred, their grades didn't😢. Had they've been able to start college with their 3.5 community college GPA...it would've went a long way to keeping their gpas up.

I was thinking of our experiences when I wrote that post.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I think it depends. I went straight into a lab. not the the wisest choice as did my DH. But i had been washing dishes for 3 summers straight and during the school year. I was not your average dish washing research intern. My DH did as well and we both aced our GMAT, MCAT, and he had 3.9 and I had 3.6. We were super academics but it wasn't meant to be for us. I got to be an author in high school on some experiments I did while washing dishes. I also wrote another 2 papers in college and on the board of my student body association. My DH did a full year career internship in another city and published a paper as well between his 3rd and 4th years. He also was president of his student body association and wrote and sold fantasy hockey league software. He was making quite a bit when we met.

But seriously I think I should have explored more and tried different career fields. I just landed like my DH easily. And the pay was minimum wage, resume builder, and what was expected. I can do every task that they don't do anymore because i literally was a grunt as was my DH. We laugh with friends all the time about the stuff we did that seem ridiculous now.

I might also add during summers I drove a school mail truck and waited tables for extra cash I like working. DH did a ton of computer networking for his dad's business.

I think for my kids I'm hoping they work to figure out different paths of life. Maybe I'm just too hopeful though. We both want our kids to find passions no matter what it is.

Maybe if he wants to work especially in something to try it out, why not? It doesn't have to be game changing sometimes it can be something that seems ridiculous that leads into a career. My cousin volunteered at ER to follow EMTs. She ended up doing it as career and working at the ER night shift desk.

Another volunteered in college in news station and became the TV producer after college she always wanted. Some jobs just seem to lend themselves into careers. Or point the student in the right direction.

[disneysteve]

meh, my opinion is kind of the opposite. the classes in the first 2 years of undergrad are the easiest you're ever going to get, especially if you choose harder majors.

My advice to not work first year has nothing at all to do with the difficulty of the school course work. I'm talking about the difficulty in adjusting to college life. As I said earlier, it is a huge life change. Very few kids navigate it smoothly without difficulty.

And don't assume that 2nd semester is easier than first. In fact, many schools will tell you that the single hardest semester adjustment-wise is 2nd semester of freshman year because the kids have just started to settle in and then they're back at home for 6 weeks on break. Then they return to campus and they have to readjust. At that point, the newness has worn off and it's winter time so they're inside a lot more and it's dark early. Many more kids struggle at that point.

Few kids really feel completely comfortable at college until sophomore year. That's when adding a job to the mix is a much easier proposition.

[moneybags]

I didn't encourage either of my kids to get a job during college. They both ended up pursuing jobs on campus at some point. Jobs on campus tend to be less demanding, but gave them a little extra spending money.

[disneysteve]

My only job in college (not counting a summer job which I did every year) was senior year. I lived in an on-campus apartment. There were 4 apartments in each building and each building had a building manager. I signed up to do that. The pay was minimal but it was something and the responsibilities were next to nothing. Plus it got me master keys which came in handy numerous times.

I also did some work of my own during college. I was an avid photographer back then and shot graduation photos for a number of my friends during my junior and senior years. I charged way less than the official school photographer but still made some good money doing it.

As with life in general, making money doesn't necessarily have to involve taking a formal job.

In med school, I typed for the student note service. Every student was required to participate in the service but a lot of people chose to pay someone else to do it for them. Enter the typists for hire like me and a couple of my classmates. The 3 of us probably did 85% of the work for a class of 210 students.

[TexasHusker]

My only job in college (not counting a summer job which I did every year) was senior year. I lived in an on-campus apartment. There were 4 apartments in each building and each building had a building manager. I signed up to do that. The pay was minimal but it was something and the responsibilities were next to nothing. Plus it got me master keys which came in handy numerous times.

I also did some work of my own during college. I was an avid photographer back then and shot graduation photos for a number of my friends during my junior and senior years. I charged way less than the official school photographer but still made some good money doing it.

As with life in general, making money doesn't necessarily have to involve taking a formal job.

In med school, I typed for the student note service. Every student was required to participate in the service but a lot of people chose to pay someone else to do it for them. Enter the typists for hire like me and a couple of my classmates. The 3 of us probably did 85% of the work for a class of 210 students.

My first roommate was a stripper and he did quite well!

[~bs]

My advice to not work first year has nothing at all to do with the difficulty of the school course work. I'm talking about the difficulty in adjusting to college life. As I said earlier, it is a huge life change. Very few kids navigate it smoothly without difficulty.

And don't assume that 2nd semester is easier than first. In fact, many schools will tell you that the single hardest semester adjustment-wise is 2nd semester of freshman year because the kids have just started to settle in and then they're back at home for 6 weeks on break. Then they return to campus and they have to readjust. At that point, the newness has worn off and it's winter time so they're inside a lot more and it's dark early. Many more kids struggle at that point.

Few kids really feel completely comfortable at college until sophomore year. That's when adding a job to the mix is a much easier proposition.

Yeah, i agree with that. A lot of students have difficulty adjusting to the (much)greater freedom of college life, and the 1st year is where you can kinda see who is more likely to drop out. If anything, summer jobs/internships are good combined with 2 summer school classes (if going for earlier graduation)

[TexasHusker]

My first roommate was a stripper and he did quite well!

Then again, he was in the Navy the second semester.

[FLA]

TexasHusker, your life is never boring!

[My English Castle]

A Big Maybe

I think working during college has advantages, but they have to be carefully weighed. As many of you know, I teach at a large public university, and I've seen both the good and bad. On campus jobs tend to be more understanding of student schedules. While server jobs may pay better, they also have wacky hours and sometimes lots of after hours partying. Our university offers all sorts of short-term research opportunities, and they're not necessarily in expected subject areas. Some of them involve compiling date, others helping to assemble background material for grants or other research. They can be very interesting and offer a window into lots of different types of work. Students who work in departmental offices also learn valuable skills. Sometimes students need the structure that working provides. While it can be very tempting to not show up to class, not showing up to work has a different set of consequences. I've had students--especially those with anxiety and depression issues--tell me that the regular schedule of work 'saved" them.

[TexasHusker]

TexasHusker, your life is never boring!