The difficulties and challenges of working while being a college student.
Being a college student can be an extremely stressful, yet rewarding and fun experience for people. However, for many students, the cost of attending school means they need to work to help support themselves during their studies. Working in college can be a difficult task for students trying to balance classes, studying, a social life and work responsibilities. Students from different backgrounds and institutions are working while in school and attempting to juggle their responsibilities.
Primarily, college is seen as a four-year education, but two-year institutions are another avenue for students.. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, just over 75% of the population who are working in college are students attending a four-year institution, whereas those attending two-year institutions account for just under 25% of students working. A possible reason for the disparity between the two is the enrollment total of those at a four-year college versus those at a two year. In research done by Educationdata.org, 71.1% of college students are enrolled in a four-year institution, compared to the 28.9% enrolled at two-year institutions.
There are a number of reasons as to why someone might work in college. It could be to help them pay for tuition, rent or just to save money for the future after graduation. For some students like Florida International University’s Soren Knippen, working in school helps him pay for his apartment and for his camera equipment for his photography. Knippen is a junior at FIU and started working two part-time jobs this year, one as a tutor at an elementary school and the other as a photographer.
“It’s difficult because I feel like sometimes, I have to choose something to sacrifice, and more often than not I have to sacrifice my social life to make sure my job and school work get done,” Knippen said.
He works around 25–35 hours a week, depending on if he has to do a photoshoot that week or not. The weekly hours that he has are the most commonly worked hours for college students according to the National Center for Education Statistics, as 34.6% of full-time students who work in college work between 20–35 hours a week. Knippen is Puerto Rican and is one of many Hispanic students who have added to the increase of hispanic students working while in college. Since the year 2000 the percentage of employed Hispanic students has increased from 8.7% to 20%. Contributing to this growth is the increase of students enrolled in college from Hispanic backgrounds, as from 2000 the enrollment of Hispanic students has grown from 27.1% to 36.3%.
When it comes to who most commonly works while in college, women on average work more than men while in college. Amanda Vuelta attends FIU and works part time at the university. Women account for 54.6% of employed college students in the United States, and Vuelta said she has been working ever since she enrolled in the university to help pay for school and for her life after graduation. Like Knippen, Vuelta is Hispanic and is part of a growing number of Hispanic students enrolling in college and working while enrolled.
She works with the university and with their intramural sports programs. Vuelta said that a benefit of working on campus is that she doesn’t have to stress as much about a commute, and it saves her money with gas, however she said she still feels like it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.
“Working with all the classes I take requires a careful balance, and sometimes it can be a bit much,” Vuelta said.
Both Knippen and Vuelta have experiences that many college students have while working in school. It can be very overwhelming. The cost of living hangs over the heads of many college students and some are struggling to balance living on their own, going to school, and trying to maintain relationships with those close to them. Finding the balance and the time to take care of themselves is key for students like Knippen and Vuelta, and many more around South Florida.
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