Working part-time, full-time or undertaking an internship for school is often part of the student experience.
According to Fortune, 43% of students work full-time, while 81% of students work part-time jobs. Students who work while pursuing college are also approximately 20% less likely to complete their degrees compared to peers who don’t work. This leads to a substantial fall in expected graduation rates.
Working in college is sometimes necessary to pay for tuition, supplies, activities and simply enjoy outings with friends. Katelyn Sparks, a fourth-year psychology student, falls into that category.
Sparks works at a restaurant for about 25 hours per week while also attending classes. She switched from working full-time to part-time this semester after previously dealing with the workload of school and work.
“Last semester, when I was full-time, there were many times when I was missing due dates and had nights of not sleeping to do things,” Sparks said. “It’s better having a part-time job so I can have a little bit of a social life.”
Jordann Gonzalez, a second-year biology student working at the House of Blues Anaheim, dedicates 14 hours to school each week. Her duties consist of being a hostess, setting up guests at the right table, checking bathrooms and focusing on customer service and hospitality.
“I got pretty lucky. My job is very flexible when it comes to my hours, so I am able to keep everything balanced,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said that her personal life is impacted because she is either at school or working all day, except on weekends. When she has free time, she does her schoolwork.
With growing tuition rates and student loan debt, it’s standard for more college students to work. According to Forbes, when public universities receive less state and local funding, they are more likely to impose expenses on students in the form of tuition hikes.
First-year biology student Alexander Guellen works 20 hours per week as a middle school soccer coach. With his soccer expertise, he supervises his students while completing workouts with them on the school field.
“I don’t find it very difficult to balance work and school. I get home at 6 p.m. and most of my homework is due at school, so I feel like it is pretty balanced,” Guellen said.
Managing work on top of school can be simple for some students. However, it is a struggle for Briana Castellon, a mechanical engineering major who works part-time at the Engineering Student Success Center. Castellon has accepted the idea that she will not have much time for socializing, as she devotes 25 hours to school and 14 hours to work each week.
“I am focused on school so if I go out, I jeopardize school work and resort to no sleeping,” Castellon said. “But I feel productive doing so. I would rather be making money than not being productive.”
Managing career and academic responsibilities continues to be a significant challenge for college students. Students in need of academic support can visit the CSULB website for a comprehensive list of resources available.