Spring Break
Working too hard for the money
Erin Edwards
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: Opinion
It's a scenario that many college students are familiar with and usually despise, but one that sometimes cannot be avoided: paying the bills. Whether it's university tuition, rent, utilities or insurance, there is always a form of paper tab demanding your payment.
I have been working in the job market since I was 15. From working at a daycare to waitressing, I have had six jobs over the past six years and currently, I work three jobs and go to school full-time.
It's not something I necessarily choose because I love working (although, thankfully I do enjoy all of my responsibilities), but it's mainly because my parents are slowly weaning me off the financial stream they have provided for me for almost 22 years. I am by no means complaining about having these jobs because to tell the truth, they have prepared me more for the "real world." Working so much has taught me good work ethics, job responsibility and business skills more than any classroom or book could ever teach.
However, there is one important lesson that I have realized in balancing these jobs and school work over the past four years: I am absolutely terrible at it. I have struggled with grades, had a mediocre social life and lost hundreds of hours of sleep in the process.
Unfortunately, I am not alone.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, half of full-time college students ages 16 to 24 were employed in 2005, up from 34 percent in 1970. However, this isn't the only figure going up. College Board reported that for the 2006-2007 academic year, tuition and fees at four-year public institutions increased by 6.3 percent. Even the Pell Grant, the largest and most beneficial source of aid for students has decreased since 2005.
Of course, this doesn't include the increased cost of living, the inflated gas prices or other various factors that contribute to monthly bills.
All of my friends have at least one job and from what I have observed, most of them come from middle-class families who have little to no financial problems. Many have taken jobs not only to help pay bills, but to learn a form of responsibility and accountability that only comes with having a job.
I have been working in the job market since I was 15. From working at a daycare to waitressing, I have had six jobs over the past six years and currently, I work three jobs and go to school full-time.
It's not something I necessarily choose because I love working (although, thankfully I do enjoy all of my responsibilities), but it's mainly because my parents are slowly weaning me off the financial stream they have provided for me for almost 22 years. I am by no means complaining about having these jobs because to tell the truth, they have prepared me more for the "real world." Working so much has taught me good work ethics, job responsibility and business skills more than any classroom or book could ever teach.
However, there is one important lesson that I have realized in balancing these jobs and school work over the past four years: I am absolutely terrible at it. I have struggled with grades, had a mediocre social life and lost hundreds of hours of sleep in the process.
Unfortunately, I am not alone.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, half of full-time college students ages 16 to 24 were employed in 2005, up from 34 percent in 1970. However, this isn't the only figure going up. College Board reported that for the 2006-2007 academic year, tuition and fees at four-year public institutions increased by 6.3 percent. Even the Pell Grant, the largest and most beneficial source of aid for students has decreased since 2005.
Of course, this doesn't include the increased cost of living, the inflated gas prices or other various factors that contribute to monthly bills.
All of my friends have at least one job and from what I have observed, most of them come from middle-class families who have little to no financial problems. Many have taken jobs not only to help pay bills, but to learn a form of responsibility and accountability that only comes with having a job.
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