Good Morning Green Panda Friends! I hope you all had a nice weekend. I hope that Hurricane Irene wasn’t too harsh on our East Coast friends and your families. If you have been affected by Hurricane Irene my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. It’s time for the next post in our Going Back to College Savings series; today we are discussing how to make smart money moves in college. Keep reading for tips on how to make money in college as well as the consequences of working in college.
Should You Work in College?
As you may remember from previous posts in our Going Back to College Savings series I worked both part time and full time in college. It was definitely exhausting and my grades definitely suffered, but if I wanted to attend college in a city away from my hometown I had to work. I cannot tell you if you should work in college because that really depends on your personal situation and your financial needs. However, I can tell you about my own personal experience because I worked during all four years of my college career.
I made good friends while working in college, some of whom I am still friends with today. I enjoyed the social aspect of working during college, and I enjoyed the flexibility in my schedule. However, working during college means long days and sometimes sleepless nights. Juggling a school schedule and a work schedule also means very limited time for friends and social activities. This is why my coworkers became my friends.
Group projects were always the most difficult activity for me in college. It is already hard enough trying to coordinate the schedules of five different group members; and when you throw limited availabilities and a work schedule into the mix, organizing group projects becomes almost impossible.
I have to admit that I was always a little bit jealous of other students in my group projects who did not have to work during college. They always seemed to be well rested and they were always available. However, working during college was a personal choice that I made.
How to Make Money in College!
If you decide to work during college, or if your financial situation requires you to work during college, there are several ways for students to make money in college. Of course there is the obvious way to make money in college which is to get a part time job. Working part time at a restaurant, a cafe, or a retail store offers flexibility and a possible additional income in the form of tips. I worked briefly at a cafe during college, and I really enjoyed the employee perk of being able to eat for free; that was a big budget saver.
A recent trend for college students is to Start their own Business. Being Self Employed definitely also has its benefits. Students who start their own business in college enjoy flexibility in their schedules, as well as the benefit of being their own boss. However, starting a business can be very time consuming, and it may not always guarantee a steady income flow. Common Student Businesses include tutoring, writing resumes, blogging, and being virtual assistants.
Here are the previous posts in our Going Back to College Savings series:
Can You Afford To Go To College
The Opportunity Cost of a College Education
Photo by ComputerJamey
Tahnya is 30 years old and lives in Montreal Quebec. She graduated in 2005 from Concordia University, and she currently works for a major International Financial Institution. She recently launched http://www.mediamadam.ca/. You can follow her on Twitter @TahnyaP.