The Student Room
Working part time – After school treatment or torture?
An overlook to tell whether working part is helpful or just another weight to carry?
Nooh Adnan
So, you’ve had some free time in your after-school hours and need to pay rent. You are probably thinking to start working at your local grocery store to earn a few dollars. You also might be hesitant to take such a big step, after all what’s more important than ensuring that you get a good grade, right? Well, you’ve come to the right place, as we have compiled the remarks and opinions of other college students to once and for all decide whether you should accept that part-time job, or put your time in something more worthwhile.
Now, it really all depends on the type of person you are. If you are well organized and are not intimidated by prospect of working, then perhaps you could combat against the responsibilities of having a job and still be able to maintain a consistent grade. It also depends on the kind of job you are willing to take. Try to get a good deal from your employers, to extract a reasonable balance between the labor you put in, and the fruit that it bears. That said, it’s time to compare the Pros and Cons of having an after-school job.
- The Pro’s:
- Financial Support:
Working at a job gets you paid. That’s the gist of it. You could earn money to take care of all the numerous taxes or bills that is long overdue, not to mention the plague that is college debt. Or you could savor your hard-earned cash, and use your little fortune to enjoy some of the luxuries in life. Perhaps you want that new laptop that you saw gleaming at you from the store window, or dine at the fancy new restaurant that opened across the street.
- Experience:
If you have already decided which field and company you want to work for when you settle in for a permanent job, then you could consider getting an internship at said company. A lot of the biggest companies offer internships to new workers who require experience for a job, or just need college credit.
A job like this could go very far if you want to ensure a place at a company. It lets you observe the inner workings of the company, as well as its office environment. Being an apprentice also means that instead of working full time at more advanced stations, you get to save time for yourself (not to forget those long pages of homework) and learn the ins and outs of the place.
It even gives you an insight on how your higher-ups handle their daily tasks, which could help you out in the long run.
- Socialising:
Usually a lot of your fellow co-workers are working for the same reasons you are. This gives you a lot to relate with and discuss about with fellow interns. Bonding with people who share common interests with you, is a superb formula to gain a few extra friends.
If you that’s far-fetched, a study in 2015 showed that around 75% of college students mostly made friends at after-study workplaces rather than the college itself. Researchers claim this to be because the average college student barely takes time to get to know their classmates, but spends multiple hours together in a workplace.
- The Cons:
- Competition:
Job security is an important part of keeping a job. Making sure that you don’t lose your job from the sea of applicants that managers are forced to choose from. Some will have better resumes than you, so in order to maintain your job, you need to be working consistently.
This may lead in you losing time handling the menial aspects of a part-time job.
- Work-Study-Life Balance:
Having a job means that you need to be dedicated to it and invest time in order to make it fruitful and worthwhile. You need to be able to balance and divide your time between working, and having a life; that’s without accounting the time you actually need to spend studying. It is tough for those who have a job and also need to study, which means you have to be organised to make it work.
- Working hours:
Some jobs require you to be up and working, even at the dead of night. You need to make sure that you can handle the stress and tension that accompanies such a responsibility. Not to mention the implied security concerns and sleep deprivation that it brings up. You need to make sure that you can handle a suitable time-table offered by your workplace, otherwise perhaps you are not set up to handle a job so early.
- Responsibility:
With great power comes great responsibility. You need to make sure that you are up to take the task and become responsible and handle the work. Otherwise, it could become a burden for you, and the others working around you if you aren’t able to keep up and stay organized.
- What can you learn at the end of the day?
- Management:
You need to be able to manage yourself before you manage a department. That is why it is great idea to be able to manage a small group or watch someone else do the managing and learning tips from them - Life skills and extra credit:
Some places can teach skills to workers can be used long after you stop working at the place as well as those that can come in handy if you apply for a full-time job. Banks can teach accounting that can come in handy calculating your own taxes. Bakeries can teach you how to cook those delicious cakes that they serve to customers on a daily basis. Depending on what you job you choose, you could learn a thing or two from these huge corporations and implement them in you own life.
- Budgeting:
If you are working to maximise your monthly income then you may pick up a thing or two about budgeting. A study shows that over 75% of students who work part-time benefit tenfold in terms of budgeting by learning how to balance their budget from discounts that they get from their workplaces as well as implementing techniques that their won workplace implements, such as calculattinf tax. This means that depsit financially struggling workers learn how to save money an when best to spend it.
To conclude, working has many benefits. However to truly gain an advantage from it you need to be responsible enough to carry your own load and be able to manage your time, to keep a balance in your life before you take such a step.
For further information, please visit:
http://wesupportslavery.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
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