Just a heads up for all those students out there that still have a healthy amount of time until graduation: as the date creeps closer, you are more and more inclined to become introspective.

My graduation date is less than two weeks away, so I've been doing a lot of thinking. Something I was thinking about this week was how my college experience could have been different if I'd made different choices throughout my four years at Western Washington University. At the end of my freshman year, I remember being disappointed I hadn't fallen in love with one of Western's numerous clubs. There is a club out there for practically everyone...so why hadn't I found one that stuck? The main reason was that almost all those clubs met in the evenings, and I was always at work.

Ever since I began college, I have worked at least 20 hours a week (though for the last two years it's been closer to 30, with the occasional 35-hour week). Almost everyone I tell this to, whether it be students or faculty, has looked at me like I was nuts. That is a lot of hours for a full-time student.

But as I look back and think about whether I regret on missing out on things like clubs and parties, I've decided I don't. Because I think working through college was a totally valuable and worthwhile endeavor. And here's why:

Work experience:

So, I know a lot of people who didn't have their first job until they were 19 or 20. That, to me, just seems insane. I had my first summer job when I was 14, cleaning golf carts at the course near my house. I worked summers at the golf course until I graduated high school when I started to work at the movie theater over the summer. Though I might have wished my parents didn't push me to work every summer while I was in high school, I gained a really valuable work ethic. So there was no question of continuing to work during college.

Since starting college, I have had five different jobs. I worked at the movie theater for the better part of two years before doing a brief stint in retail, and I've worked at Round Table Pizza for the past year. Not to mention, I've had two internships during that period too. There have been times I've worked two jobs, or had a job and an internship, so I always stay busy.

The value of having had all of these jobs during college is that I now have a full resume. I have nearly seven years of total customer service experience, I know how to answer phones, I know how to effectively work in teams, I am very adaptable and a quick learner. I'm an excellent problem solver. Some of these things I learned in school as well, but I put them into practice in the workplace, and to a future employer, all of that looks very promising in a potential job candidate.

Time management.

Don't let the header confuse you. I am not a time-management extraordinaire. I am, however, much less of a procrastinator than I would be if I didn't work almost full time. When you have to plan assignment due dates around when you're at work, it leaves fewer opportunities to leave things until the very last minute. If there is something due at 10 a.m. Monday morning, and I work Sunday night until 11:30, I am probably going to make sure I find time before work on Sunday to do the assignment, instead of waiting until late Sunday night or early Monday morning.

A study by Boston University also states that "Working really makes you more structured; you have a lot of things to do in a short amount of time, so it’s important to keep up with it all."

I agree. When I have to juggle school, work, and my internship, it forces me to schedule things out to make sure I get everything done on time. That isn't to say I don't still procrastinate (what college student doesn't?) it just means that I'm a slightly more organized procrastinator.

As an example (and I'm getting a little meta here), I have an article due for Odyssey every Saturday by 5 p.m. I work every Friday until 11:30 p.m., and every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. That doesn't leave a lot of time for me to write my article on Friday or Saturday. So what must I do? Use my time management skills to make sure that my article is done by Thursday night.

Being financially responsible.

Once again, I'm not perfect. I definitely go out and spend too much money on books or video games sometimes. It happens. But since I work so much, when I do go out and spend "too much money," it doesn't mean that now I can't pay rent.

I am also very fortunate in that my parents pay for school. Tuition, books, the whole shebang. They also pay for my phone bill. But I pay for everything else. Rent, utilities, internet, food, entertainment, anything else I want. And I refuse to take my parent's generosity for granted. I won't graduate with any debt, and I'll know how to manage my own finances. I have to budget every month for rent and food and everything else, but it is less stressful because I know exactly how hard I have to work to support myself.

Not to mention I know how much I have to work to make sure I have extra money so that I can go out to eat, see movies, and go downtown with friends. Which brings me to my last point.

Knowing how to have fun.

You're probably thinking: wow, she's pretty busy. Full-time student, working 30 hours a week plus an extra internship? She must have no time for fun.

Wrong.

It is because I work so hard that I know the importance of downtime and having fun. I go with my coworkers every single Monday night to karaoke downtown, even though I have a class Tuesday morning. Why? Because it's fun and I look forward to it every week. If I have the time to do something fun, I never miss the opportunity. Because working hard means you have to play even harder.

Not to mention being so busy means that I can't party too hard. I don't have time for that.

So there you have it. Working through college is a good idea. Not only will it give you important skills you are going to need for the workforce after college, but it will allow you to plan your time accordingly, and whenever you do anything fun, it will be even more fun because you know you'll have earned it.

Whether it's work study, an internship, or just making pizzas, I think that you'll find working while going to school is an A+ idea.