Work Hard, Study Hard
SALEM, Mass., December 14, 2016–Working hard everyday in school to maintain grades to pass, studying hard inside of school and at home for the finals coming up, and last but certainly not least, working long hours at a job to achieve financial stability. This is a day in the life of many college students today.
Michaela Gaffney, a senior history major at Salem State University (SSU), makes sure school is her first priority when it comes to working while learning. Gaffney works at a Gymboree children’s store in a mall.
With the rush of the holiday season, retail jobs such as Gaffney’s can become extremely stressful and intense. More and more hours are also asked of employees around this time of year to cover the hoards of people coming in to shop for the holidays. Going to school four days a week, and working four to five days, an average of 16–20 hours per week, Gaffney feels the pressure of cramming both work and school into her schedule and giving enough time to each.
“I plan my work schedule around school to make sure I go to every class,” Gaffney said. “But I spend more time working than I do with homework.”
“Rather than spending more time on homework, the work that I’ve already covered in class, I prefer to get paid for my efforts at Gymboree,” she added.
As much as Gaffney prefers getting paid for her hard work at Gymboree than she does slaving away at homework after school hours, she does sometimes find it difficult to keep up on both ends of the spectrum.
“Weeks like this, working retail during the holidays and having finals all at the same time is insane trying to get all of the work done on time,” she said.
In 2015, Georgetown University Center on Education put out a new report on working while learning. Today, the fact is that even working while learning will not be able to pay for the whole college experience. Loans and debt will still be present after college is through either way.
“About 40 percent of undergraduates and 76 percent of graduate students work at least 30 hours a week; 25 percent of all working learners are simultaneously employed full-time and enrolled in college full-time; and 19 percent of all working learners have children,” Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce notes.
“Learning While Earning: The New Normal” documents the fact that it is more common than not to come across a student that is also an employee, working through his or her college career.
“In the United States today, nearly 14 million people — 8 percent of the total labor force and a consistent 70 percent to 80 percent of college students — are both active in the labor market and formally enrolled in some form of postsecondary education or training,” the authors note. “These programs include degree-granting programs, such as Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs, non-degree granting programs, and certification and vocational training programs.”
A lot more students are working while also earning a degree in college, yet is this always going to truly pay off in the long run? Many students note that maintaining a job while also being in classes adds character and also money to bank accounts, but it can also be detrimental to grades and focus towards education.
Ashley Stevens, a senior advertising major at SSU, has worked at a Border Café restaurant throughout her college career. As senior year is halfway through her final year, Stevens decided to resign from her position as a waitress and hostess at the Mexican restaurant to further her motivation to focus more on her schoolwork.
“I’ve had so much more time to focus on school work and making sure the quality of my work is the best it can be,” Stevens said. “My grades have totally gone up since I resigned.”
Working a job while also trying to maintain the grades you need to graduate can also cause a lot of stress and concern for the student. Cramming in the time to spend on work and school can be nearly impossible when both places are demanding your time.
“I’m less stressed [now], too,” Stevens added. “I don’t have to crunch everything into specific days now. I used to do 15 hours of work at Borders a week, and I know that is less than most people work, but personally I just couldn’t handle it on top of school.”
A 2012 article in US News, “Consider Pros and Cons of Working in College,” noted that there are many pros and cons one should keep in mind when deciding on working a job while in school, or passing up on the earning while learning.
In the article, Debbie Kaylor, director of the Boise State University Career Center noted that a college job is, “an opportunity to develop professional skills that employers will be expecting upon graduation. When employers recruit new college grads, they are not only looking for a major, but they are looking for a skill set.”
So if one can take the pressure and stress of working that job while in college, it will pay off in the end, but only if he or she can keep focused on school as well. If he or she is more focused on making the shifts that cause them less sleep before a big exam, or less time to study or complete work on time, then a job while in school is more or less pointless, other than having some spending money.
Kathryne Beagan, a special education kindergarten teacher and Merrimack alumnus, found that the five jobs she held throughout her college career helped her to better her skills that she would need in her future, and motivated her to do her best with everything she did while in school. Beagan said she did babysitting, worked at The Paper Store, Bath & Body Works, instructed Zumba, and taught at her dance studio. She would work each one day a week so she could balance each one.
“It was tough making time for each one,” Beagan said, “but I liked it a lot. I love being busy.”
“Working retail definitely helped me a lot with social skills, and babysitting and teaching dance helped me prepare for working with students in my classroom today,” Beagan added. “I feel like I’ve done a lot more than I ever pictured myself doing thanks to my college jobs.”
Working while learning can be challenging, it can also be rewarding. It certainly isn’t for everyone, yet it can build character and skill sets for the students’ futures.
