Your alarm goes off in the morning. You wake up panicking about what time it is and whether you will make it to class on time. You scramble out of bed to find out you have 20 minutes to get to class. So, you hop in the shower real quick and then run back to your room to change and at least try to make yourself presentable. You scurry off to your days of classes and then while everyone else gets to come home and relax with friends or studying, you get to go to WORK!
Some students live their life happy and content with strictly being a full time student. However, the rare breed that they are, some students choose to go the extra mile and get a job. If you ask any student worker they will tell you they are either in class, studying, doing homework, or at work. That's the life. There is barely any time for leisurely activities without losing sleep. Social lives are hard to come by when you are working 9 hour shifts on top of 8 hours of classes a day.
But is working really an option for these students? Every student has a different reason as to why the work and go to school. For one, some work to be able to have extra spending money. This money can go towards random shopping trips, summer spending cash, concerts, or even the occasional booze. Other students have to work in order to keep a roof over their heads. Those students who live off campus may not want to live at home with their parents, or maybe they can't live at home with their parents. In that case it is their responsibility to make a living for themselves while studying at college. They need to pay rent, utilities, groceries, and for the minor breaks that come with owning or renting their own place. On the other hand, students could work to pay off their school. When at school many students accumulate an overwhelming amount of debt. This forces a lot of students into stress and anxiety about the future to come. 'How am I going to pay off all of my tuition in just 6 short months after I graduate?' 'What if I don't get a job?' 'Will I have to move back in with my parents?' These questions surrounds students every day of their academic careers. Many students take the initiative to go ahead and start saving now, so they don't have to stress later, and can focus on their current studies.
Overall, many students have different reasons as to why they work. The fact that they can work and go to school full time is pretty impressive to me. Too many people don't give them enough credit. I know that I work and go to school and complain all the time about having to go to work a short 30 minutes after I get out of class. However, no matter how much we complain having that extra cash, that extra income, that support is all worth it in order to not stress and make the most of our college careers.
