Seventy percent of college students work during their studies. But adding a job to an already busy schedule can create challenges for any student.
Ultimately, the reason most students work during their studies is to help pay for their education. And there are a lot of benefits to working while in school. But if you’re fortunate enough to not have to need to work, it begs the question of should you.
Generally, it’s a good idea for students to work. I worked a few jobs during my undergrad, and I think it served me really well. But each person is different, and maybe you’re not feeling like a job will fit into your life as a student.
If this is you, wondering “is it okay to not work in college?”, here are 9 reasons not to work while in college:
Working Can Add Additional Stress
College is busy. And for many, it represents the first time you’re living away from home.
You need to not only keep up with school, but also learn how to manage yourself without parental supervision. This can be a steep learning curve, alongside having to adjust to a whole new style of learning. Adding an additional responsibility on top of that can add more stress to an already stressful situation. Working can impact your mental health if you’re already at capacity, so it’s important it’s not going to push you over the edge.
Make sure that you’re considering how much additional workload you can take, and don’t put too much on your shoulders.
Working Takes Time Out of Your Week
Working part-time can easily add 10, 15, or 20+ hours to your weekly schedule.
Depending on your degree, you could have 20-30 hours of classes already, plus assignments, projects, and assignments on top of that. You don’t have to be majoring in math to realize you very quickly exceed a typical working week of 40 hours. Now this isn’t to say that it isn’t doable, but just that college is busy as-is.
Depending on the type of the job you pursue, it could be scheduled or unscheduled. Scheduled jobs require you to be at a certain location, or online at a give time. With scheduled jobs, you need to consider if the shifts work with your existing schedule. Unscheduled jobs allow you to create your own hours, so long as the work gets done. With unscheduled jobs, you need to consider when you’ll make time to get the work done.
Regardless of the type of work, a part-time job will take hours out of your week, every week.
Extra-Curriculars Can Be More Beneficial Than Working
College is a great time to pursue extra-curriculars. This could be a club for a hobby you’re interested in, a team dedicated to a cause you’re passionate about, or a conference about a topic you’re curious to learn about.
But extra-curriculars can take up as much, if not more time than a part-time job. Depending on your role within the extra-curricular, you may need to commit 10+ hours per week. And given a choice between this and a part-time job, extra-curriculars may be more interesting and fulfilling.
As well, participating in extra-curriculars can be excellent resume builders. They can show potential hiring managers that you’re interested in the topic or field and show commitment to a cause.
Compared to a part-time job that doesn’t have any applicability to your field of study, participating in extra-curriculars may actually put you further ahead than a part-time job.
Working Part-Time Can Hamper Your Social Life
College is a fantastic time to try new things, meet new people, and overall have a great time.
By taking time out of your schedule, working part-time may prevent you from participating in social events that can make your college experience memorable. Many part-time jobs available for students require working in the evening, and often on the weekend. This also happens to be the most social times of the week. It’s really hard to hear about your friends’ fun plans while you need to work.
It’s not impossible to have a thriving social life while working part-time, but it will certainly mean there are things you need to say no to.
College is Exhausting, Even Without a Part-Time Job
I can’t think of a time where I was more exhausted than during my undergrad. When time sacrifices had to be made, sleep was often the first thing to go.
There’s a common saying for college students: good grades, a healthy sleep schedule, and a good social life – pick two. And a job would add another thing to your already limited time. It’s incredibly hard to maintain a healthy sleep schedule alongside everything that college has to offer. And as mentioned, when something needs to give, sleep is often the thing that gets dropped.
Adding a part-time job will just make your exhaustion worse, so make sure you’re considering that when making your decision.
You May Have a Required GPA to Keep a Scholarship
If you have any scholarships, whether athletic or academic, they may come with a minimum required GPA to keep the scholarship.
When this is the case, working part-time may not be worth the risk of losing the scholarship. Depending on the size of the scholarship, the money you’d make working part-time would be less than you’re getting from your scholarship.
That said, there has been studies showing that working part-time can actually improve your GPA. But ultimately you need to assess your own situation and make the decision that’s right for you.
Working Part Time May Hinder Athletic Performance
If you’re a student athlete, working part-time may take time away from your training or recovery.
As mentioned above, working part-time adds one more thing on your plate. This may mean you have to drop something else. This may mean sleeping less, which would affect recovery. It may also mean less time in the gym, preventing you from reaching your full potential.
Even if you’re not a student athlete, working part-time may mean you don’t have time to exercise during the week. This could affect both physical and mental health and may hurt you in the long-term.
Working Can Impact GPA
Depending how may hours you work, you may be reducing your GPA by taking a part-time job.
Working during your studies can have direct impact on your GPA, with different levels of work having different impacts. Interestingly, there does seem to be a sweet spot of working 10-20 hours per week that can actually increase your GPA, but working any more or less has been shown to have detrimental impacts.
It all depends on the individual student. Some students may find that working while studying keeps them productive, but others may find the additional responsibility overwhelming.
It’s important to assess your own situation and decide if working makes sense with your school workload.
Working Part-Time Doesn’t Allow You to Fully Experience College
College is a very unique time in your life. You’re on your own for the first time, your surrounded by people your own age, and there are new experiences everywhere you look.
If you want to fully experience everything college has to offer, working part-time can take you away from that. Working part-time means you have to dedicate hours to your job, taking you away from social events, club participation, conference attendance, and more. You can still experience these things while having a job, but inevitably there will be things you miss due to work.
Not working opens you up to be able to take part in everything college has to offer.
There you have it, 9 reasons not to work in college. Now as I said, there are a lot of benefits to working while studying, but if you’re looking for reasons not to, or justification in your decision, these 9 reasons can be leveraged. Ultimately if you’re in a position where you’re able to not work, you are very fortunate, as this is not the reality for many. And if you do choose not to work, ensure it’s for reasons that will enrich your life.
If you do choose to pursue employment, check out this article: 10 Things to Consider as a Student Seeking a Part-Time Job