Working During College
 

Next week I will be starting my first day of college as a freshman. I currently work at a grocery store and am thinking about quitting. Although I worked during Highschool, I feel that working during college is differnt and may affect my studies more. But... If I quit my job, I won't have money for luxuries. I won't be able to buy clothes, buy car parts, buy my girlfriend things, go out to eat or spend any money besides for gas. Yes, this is a first world problem but growing up with all these luxuries it will be difficult for me to abandon the lifestyle.

If you are wondering, I am still living with my parents free of charge and my parents are also paying for my college. My parents only give me money if it supports my education. Ever since I was old enough I worked at McDonalds so I could have money to hangout. I have made probably around $12,000 from working the past 3 years but because of poor spending and saving habits I only have $3500 saved up.

What should I do? If I stop working, how do I adapt to the change? Or any other way to make money quick doing leagal things... Lol

P.S. Ever since I turned 18 I have been buying lottery tickets atleast 5 times a week...

It's all about what you want to do. As you said, giving up your job would mean no more extra cirricular activities. However, there is a middle spot - compromise if you will.

Budgeting. Even if you make minimum wage, you can still budget. See what you are spending your hard earned dollars on and cut uneeded expenses. Do you really need new clothes? Do you really need car parts right now? Make your own food and eat out less (women are impressed when a guy cooks for them). Save where and when you can, that way you can still have fun when not studying/attending classes. Oh yeah, stop buying lottery tickets!!!

Really awesome that you are still with your parents and they are helping out with college! I tried not working for a month due to me taking a crazy amount of classes for one quarter when I was still in school. Not having money to do stuff, for the lack of better word, sucks. Yes, you can do things that don't involve money but when you are in a hobby, such as cars, expenses are to be had.

Give it one or two quarters and see how you feel. In my case, I missed having cash in my pocket. In your case, I can't say because I don't know you. :P

Does your school offer a work-study program where you can still get a few hours in each week? I was able to do something like this for my undergrad program. The school would post local jobs either on or off campus and they would work with your school schedule.

Also... you'll have more "free time" during college. At least I did. But that's your choice to either study or work.

News flash:
You will be working while trying to do something else for the rest of your life. I know there is a whole school of thought that says "Focus on your studies only" and as great a plan as that may be it does not reflect real life. I spent much of my young, post military life holding down a full time job, a part time job and night studies and although it was rough I feel I came out better for it in the end. Keep the job study hard and if something has to give then reduce the social life for a couple of years. There will be time for fun when you are finished school.

My university workload did not allow me to have any part time job (30+ hours week courses), so it was tough on the pocket.

I ended up getting a decent summer job that allowed me to not work all school year, but you gotta plan accordingly

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Don't quit your job , there is no easy way to succeed in life. You will learn valuable lessons working and going to school. You will learn the necessary skills not taught in college by working at the same time.

You will also mature faster by not relaying on your parents for such luxuries. It great you have help from your parents but you are 18 you should pitch in by at least working.

The hard work will pay off in way you wont fathom in till later in the future , invest in your self for growth not extra time for homework. You will learn valuable time management skills once you get your priorities correct.

Quit the groceries store to get a better job you like and with higher pay/less hours.

Enjoy life though your only young once.

I worked two jobs (40-50 hrs a week) while going to school (college). It allowed me to progress in a career to where I realized college was worthless to me so I dropped out. Even while doing a full schedule (15 credit hours) it was still very manageable however free time is limited so your relationship with your GF and friends will suffer a bit with that kind of schedule. Chicks come and go so that really shouldn't worry you that much at your age. You could easily work part time with a 15 credit hour class schedule. It'll be easier to do this the first 2-3 years when classes are a lot if general crap and not as focused on whatever degree you are pursuing.

i "thought" i was busy in college but it doesn't even compare to the real world. trust me you have plenty of extra time for a job (unless you have an engineering major or something crazy). I would try to get a job that has a lot of downtime and lets you study while you work. like working the front desk at a hotel.

^ This is exactly what I did, except at a gym.

Definitely work!!! Even if you're only working 10hrs a week, a little cash in your pocket is always good. Plus, unless you're taking a ridiculous amount of credits, you will have more free time than you think.

All through HS my teachers would tell us horror stories about how tough college was going to be. That was a load of BS! Yea, I had a really tough class here and there, but mostly I was able to take a full course load and hold 1-3 jobs without feeling like I was running on empty.

...Except for finals, finals will fuck your shit up. But it's over quickly and then you can sleep for 80hrs straight.

And like everyone else said already, try to find a job that doesn't burn you out and allows you to study. Receptionist/RA/Freelancer/etc

I'm a 3rd year computer engineer at UCSB and work for a small engineering company. I find that I still have a lot of time but then again engineering doesn't really require me to read or write a lot of papers.

Regardless, I suggest just trying it out. Hardest part about going to college is trying to adapt.

Edit:
Last year I actually had class from 11 am to 11 pm straight, every wednesday. (2 4 hour labs and couple classes and sections). It is very possible. However, I am an intern and my company is willing to give me hours around my schedule. If your job doesn't allow you to do that then I recommend quitting and finding another position. You can always work for the school dining commons or other services.

Also in my school we have a program where we can get paid for taking notes and submitting it for disabled students. It's a great way to make money, help fellow students, and motivate you in school. You can always talk to advisors too.

Don't quit. Trust me working through college (I worked 30-40 hours a week normally) is a great thing. It will teach you to prioritize whats important to get done that day. Granted there will be days it will suck trust me. It will also prepare you for the real world as well.

WORK WORK WORK!!!!!


even if its just a couple hours a week, the extra cash will help!


or apply for a credit card and put yourself in dept with it :thumbsup:

Haha I already got a credit card but I have been using it like a debit (paying it off once the transaction is posted). Only $500 limit though -.-

Always try to find time to work. Even if it's a couple hours a week. Every cent counts when it comes to anything. I am working a 40 hour job and going to school at the same time. I just go straight from work to school and then from school to gym and then home and sleep. Really busy schedule but I get the weekends completely free to spend time with the GF.

FIFY (not a criticism more of a congrats)

I just happen to get bored and distracted while at work and school. Most of my classes allow me to have my laptop. So I sit in the back of class :thumbsup:

Life doesnt really get good until 24+ anyways you'll be much happier having done well for yourself now when you own a house and have a good job making plenty of money to blow on stupid stuff all you want.

You'll be set and as long as you dont mess up your job you can basically do whatever you want.

It's obviously much easier to say this being older now as I squandered almost all of my time on dumb stuff when I was younger. Im just getting to the point where Im comfortable where I am currently at 27yo and wish I had been as well off when I was in my early 20's. My cars would have been much nicer lol



But in response to your working in college ordeal. I worked as a delivery driver while full time in school a few years ago. Picked a wealthier area to get a job as a delivery driver and did pretty well for only working 3-4 shifts a week. Try to get a flexible serving job for 3-4 nights a week or something. Shouldnt be too hard to manage.

Wait what happens when you turn 24 other than almost being able to rent a car

I second this ^^

Teachers in my program asked me to mentor students who had trouble grasping basic computer concepts. Took the job because it helped with my own studies + added extra cash in my pockets + didn't have to leave campus. It wasn't much, paid about 100/week, but that was food money!

Personally I couldn't balance even a 10 hour part time job and my studies (and minimal social life so no I wasn't partying too hard, maybe sunk a few more hours into LoL than was advisable), wish I could, wish I tried harder but everyone is different.

I budgeted $800-$1000/month for all my expenses minus cell phone and a couple meals when visiting home, nearly half that went towards rent and I never felt 'poor', unless you currently spend on a different plane than I imagine the average freshman does your savings should survive the next year if your not working.

It will be easier to quit your job mid-semester if you're stretched too thin than try to get your job back mid-semester if your bored.

You should still work. Why?
- Save money for after college
- Have spending money for yourself and girlfriend
- Experience

If you need to, try to see if your boss can scale down your hours.

-Work until your frail little fingers fall off
-Move out so you're not so dependent on your parents as an adult
-Save money and pay back parents. Tell them thank you every day, and appreciate how lucky you are.

You could always pursue a part time job where you dictate your own hours. An independent insurance agent is a great example. You'll start off slow but once you develop a customer base you'll start seeing the checks. Not to mention with this you're not stuck in an office at all times and you work on your own terms. It's an easy gig and I did it for a while as extra income on the side. It will be very easy to sell to people your age especially classmates and acquaintances on campus. Even now that I've stopped I have a built customer base that returns for renewal and all I have to do is keep my license up to date via continued education to be able to sell.

You get to imagine how much fun you'll have terrorizing a rented car. Duh.

My early 20s were a waste of time partying and blah blah blah. 24~ you start to see who your friends really are the others get weeded out. You have a more mature sense of what's important and what will be more fulfilling to spend your time and money on.

My opinion anyways.

If I was finished with school and already on my career path by 24 it would have been great.

Yeah I completely agree. Even though I'm only 19


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Here's something I did while in grad school: delivered pizzas. The money is usually pretty good with tips and all and drivers make more than cooks typically. Of course, you WILL put a lot of wear and tear on your car, but it is usually possible to work on the weekend only since most of the business is on Fridays and Saturdays, and on Sundays during pro football games. It is a good way to make some quick cash and is totally legal. Plus, sooner or later a very attractive young woman will appear at the door of her apartment wearing only a robe (or less) to pay for the pizza! It happened to me more than once.

School comes first. If you find that you can't manage having a job and doing well in school, drop the job. You are literally talking about sacrificing your school work to have a part time job at a grocery store. That money is chump change and in the long run will make no difference on your life. On the flip side, that time being used productively for school or school related activities could impact the rest of your life tremendously.

Just work and go to school, you'll learn about time management lol theres always time for everything, just gotta make it fit.

Is that how you met Mrs Babydriver?

You can work part time but that usually means you're gonna have to sacrifice your weekends. I've been working part time nearly every weekend while studying full time for the past 3 years. The best advice I can give is study at the library on everyday during the weekdays for extra 3 hours or so, stay on top of your readings/assignments and try to finish 1 week ahead. Im working anywhere from 5/6 to 6/8 weekends available per month which gives me one full weekend for extra things including gf time and what not. During exam time I try to work only Saturdays or Sundays depending on my exam schedule. Anyways add Pepsi mentioned budgeting should be mandatory imho. Gl in school OP!

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I made the mistake of trying to work 25+ hours a week, and commute to my college an hour each way. I think my grades could have been considerably better with those 35 extra hours a week and I probably could have finished in 4 years instead of 5 1/2. I was so burnt out from driving and working that it was difficult to get hw and studying done well in the spare time. Plus, I missed out on the "college experience" or something :bellyroll:

Do both! It will prepare you for the ass kicking you'll get when your out of your parents home and working for a living.

You just started college and it is a damn grocery store not a career. Not many employers in whatever field your in give 2 shits about your past experience at the local supermart if it isn't relevent.

Worst case senario you quit showing up to work when your supposed to or you have to ask your boss to cut your hours. Keep your head on your shoulders and you'll be fine.