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Is it better to work part time and go to school or be a full time student?

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15K views 35 replies 30 participants last post by  lat288 
#1 ·
The reason I'm asking is because I'm planning on going to college soon but I'm trying to decide if I should be a full time student or work part time while going to school. To most people this would be a no brainer but the reason I'm asking is because someone I work with goes to college while working and he says he gets almost no time to himself what so ever (also lack of sleep) and it also seems like it would be hard to get time in to do homework if you have to work all the time but what other alternatives are there?

Any advice would be helpful.
 
#2 ·
Who says you can't be both? :dry:

Answers: Coffee and Energy drinks for life.
 
#3 ·
It depends on what you want to do with your life and career. Education is a little overrated right now, especially with the many people going to it. A lot of companies that are hiring now require at least some form of work experience.
 
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#4 ·
I've worked for places that require the 'experience' when I had none. All it takes is a good talker, and a charming smile plus being semi intelligent & serious helps.
 
#8 ·
I'd recommend the full-time student thing, since I can't imagine having enough time to study, do homework, go to class, recover from having to be around people, eat, sleep, and develop your creativity through private pursuits all while also maintaining a job.
 
#9 ·
You have to recover from being around people. I have to recover from being around idiots and having to hold by my Critique & Comments (C&C).
 
#12 ·
The thing is though, is it possible to be a full time student these days when you consider food costs, gas, etc...
I don't have any rent or anything to pay at the moment since I'm living with a relative but is there any way to get around the other costs? or do you just have to rely on a grant or loan for food, gas and car insurance.
 
#16 ·
I work 45+ hours a week and go to school full time.

And like someone previously said, it just depends on what you plan on majoring in or what classes you plan on taking. If you're classes have a heavier workload or demand more time for at-home studying, then you might want to consider not working (if you can afford it) or just work the minimal hours your employer will allow.

I think it's a bit ridiculous for someone to say education is a little overrated right now. Yes, it's true, that there are employer out there who will hire you with no degree at all, but when someone else comes along and has that degree and work experience, who do you think they are going to hire? There are so many over qualified people "stepping down," in a sense, and applying for jobs they would not normally not apply for.

For example, my girlfriend works in Early Childhood Education (also known as child development in some areas), she has plenty of work experience and her associates degree. She went to apply for a teacher's assistant position, but ran into one of her friends (who has a BA in ECE) apply for the same position, when she is capable of teaching her own class.
 
#18 ·
Options

I think you should look more into resources/grants/long range plans, etc. google fastweb (I need 10 posts to post the actual site) Federal student aid/loans, etc.

I work two flexible jobs right now that allow me time for school(work about 20 hours a week or more). One actually pays 150 a class for a B or higher so long as I can prove to the company it is related.

It really depends on your situation. Not working literally makes me go insane. I feel useless when I am not working. Other people find working while in school monstrous.

You could also long range plan in this way. If you can make a 3.0 in your undergrad classes or higher there are part time teaching/substitute positions that pay well for a college kid which are really flexible.

Also, if you are a math/engineer/hard science major right now, there are "smart grants" and even scholarships for performing well in your precalc/calc courses. I saw one the other day that looked great. It offered over 1500 a semester.

There is also online schools which you can enroll in and take courses while dual enrolled at another university to finish quicker which offer a lot of flexibility.

Like I said, you have a ton of options right now. Beyond whether to work or not why not find ways to get creative with the free money being offered to you. It's still out there.
 
#20 ·
Speaking as a teacher I'd say it varies depending on the situation. If you want to get a specific job, sometimes they require an education. If you want time to figure out what you want to do it can pay to work for a while until you know what degree is best for you.
Maybe you can find a job where they offer a part-time education as part of the deal.

I think the times are gone where getting a degree because it's generally useful are leaving us. Sure, you can't really do without basic education, but after high school the world is your oyster. There aren't any things that are true for everyone.

Of course there are even more factors like age for example. For a lot of people college is a good place to discover yourself, your talents and what you want from life. I know in my life it has made me better at basically everything that matters. There are many, many skills that you can use that you just acquire through going through life and doing stuff. Making mistakes and getting small successes. I would honestly recommend that to everyone who is under 21 at least.

Hedging between a job and student life can be problematic too. A lot of courses need you to put a lot of effort in and even a part-time education can put some high demands on students so be sure to inquire what kind of a commitment they actually ask from you.

One final thing that could matter is possible student debt. There are a lot of countries where not getting your degree after studying for a few years can leave you in a very difficult spot.

Otherwise we don't really know anything about your situation so it's all just speculation.
 
#21 ·
I think trying to split the difference isn't a good idea as trying to do both work and school part-time would end up impeding on one another.

So I think it's best to either work full time and go to school part time or go to school full time and work part time. A lot of universities offer online degrees now and working full time and going to school part time is the MOST efficient way to get utility from your degree, as you would know whether or not having a degree would benefit your career by the time you finish school.

If you're fresh out of high school and still want time to explore what you like, then going to school full time and maybe getting a part time job to help offset costs like room and board is what most college-bound kids do as this gives you more time to develop your interests and meet an entirely different set of people than from high school.

Whichever you'd rather do, don't let the part time impede on what you're doing full time. If your degree is really difficult and/or time consuming, don't try to load up on work at the same time and likewise, if your work is asking you to take on additional responsibilities don't keep declining while using school as an excuse. Seems like obvious advice, but well... sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious when you're deep in such a situation and may therefore lack perspective.
 
#22 ·
Depends if you can survive with enough funds or not. You can't go to school if you have no home/food due to having no money. Well, you can but it would be quite difficult of a time. I vote for go to school full time and work part time, if possible. Interning is very important too, it will give you a foot in the door later on. Going to school and graduating with no job experience...yikes, will be difficult landing a job soon after graduation, unless you are lucky to have connections.
 
#26 ·
Is it possible for you to get a job where you can do homework while working? I had an on-campus job that allowed homework, and my sister went to a different university and she had an office job that allowed her to do homework. Maybe look around so you can get the homework out of the way during work and then you can relax later in the day.
 
#29 ·
I think it depends, I think for undergrad it's better to go to school full time. Once you have a bachelor degree you can start to work full time and do additional diploma part time if you want to change field of work.
 
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