A part-time job and a careful budget can help supplement what you earn over the summer to pay for your classes. Even if you don’t want to work full-time or on a steady basis, you can consider picking up a side hustle to help you earn extra cash and avoid debt. Check with your college to find out about possible jobs and internships in your field. Some internships will pay and can turn into part-time or full-time jobs while you finish up your degree, or can help you make the connections to help you land a job later on. Even job experience that’s not directly related to your field may qualify you for a position that someone without your experience could not get. For example, understanding children and their wants from working at a daycare center may make a difference in landing a job in the marketing department of a toy company when compared to someone with no job experience at all. It will also benefit you in learning to deal with people at work. There is a difference between working with people in school and working with people at your job. These skills will make adjusting to the real world outside of college much easier. Learning to manage your time effectively can help you do better overall. Some students find that they do better in school when they have a job because it means they need to carefully plan out the week to make time to study. However, there’s a catch: The amount of hours you work can make a difference in your academic success. Students who work 15 to 20 hours per week generally report higher GPAs than those who don’t work at all. However, working more than 20 hours per week tends to have a negative impact on their grades. It’s important to work the amount of hours that’s right for you. Your stress should not be so great that it is a distraction, and you should still be able to stay on top of all of your projects. You may also qualify for benefits such as vacation and sick time. This can alleviate the stress of working enough hours when you are not feeling well and allow you to take vacations without worrying. It may make it easier to manage your time and enjoy yourself in college even though you do need to work.
