Job, advice needed

<p>My parents have given me money and promise to give me an allowance but I would like an off campus job (I was not awarded work study because of scholarship and nearly all on campus jobs are reserved for work study students) to continue making money for myself however is it a good idea? I'm a freshman biomed engineering major pursuing pre med so im taking 16 credits this semester and 21 credits next semester, nearly all science/lab classes and I also applied for volunteering and local hospitals and nursing homes. I think it would be much more important to do the volunteering, as a pre med, than working at a supermarket (I was called for an interview) but I don't want to keep relying on my parents for money. Would having a part time job, in addition to all my schoolwork and future volunteering be too much right now and I should focus on my studies and current activities? Should I call the supermarket back and say I decided I don't want to work right now due to other commitments/priorities?</p>

<p>I think only you can answer that question based on your available time, exactly when the hours of working would be, and your need/desire for the money. For example, if the job requires you to work 4 hrs a day each weekday it may have a much bigger impact than working 8 hrs per day on Sat/Sun. </p>

<p>Your focus now s/b on your education but that doesn’t mean a p/t job has to be completely excluded - it’s a matter of how it all fits together. You certainly don’t want your schoolwork to suffer because of having the job or even because of the volunteering.</p>

<p>If you’re a freshman, weigh carefully all you have on your plate. You’re new at this. Don’t get overloaded too quick. Find your balance.</p>

<p>My inclination would be to wait till next semester when you’ll have a better idea of just what you can handle. For what it’s worth I got better grades when I worked 10 hours a week, which allowed me to earn just enough money not to feel beholden to my parents.</p>

<p>If you take the job (and I agree with those who suggest that you think carefully before overcommitting yourself), make sure that they can give you a schedule that will work with your classes, volunteering and need for study time. Sometimes, these kinds of jobs require more flexibility in terms of specific hours or number of hours than you might be able to handle right now.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t get an off campus job unless it furthered your goals of biomed engineering or med school.</p>

<p>Thank you, I don’t have a car on campus either so it would be a bit of a hassle figuring out the bus schedules and going down…I think for now I’ll just stick with local volunteering and school activities. Perhaps next year.</p>

<p>Why don’t you think of a way to make money on campus? You could tutor, clean dorm rooms, give guitar lessons (or similar instrument if you play), do laundry for people (they pay you a certain amount per pound), be a hired exercise “coach” or companion getting paid to keep others motivated if you work out regularly, or offer some other service or skill you have a talent for. It might not be much, but even $10 a week is helpful.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t eliminate the supermarket job necessarily just yet. Go for the interview and see how long it actually takes to get there and see how flexible they can be with scheduling. See how many hours they would expect you to work. If you could do less than 10 hours a week and it isn’t too unmanageable to get there it may be a great experience. I encourage my kids to get at least one or two menial jobs in their life. I think it builds character. The volunteering is great but check into what they will have you doing. For example, in a nursing home they may have you playing games with the residents. Not necessarily furthering your education. </p>

<p>I have found that having a part time job or other commitment such as a sport makes students more organized and focused. If you are only taking 16 credit hours this semester that is a pretty light schedule compared to your next semester. Having this job will require you to budget your time and not procrastinate which will be good skills to develop before your heavier schedule kicks in next semester.</p>

<p>Also, I would revisit the possibilty of on campus jobs. You said “nearly all” jobs are for work study but that means that there may be a few that are still available. By this point, the kids who needed a work study job have all started and you should be able to see if there are any left over. Also, kids that didn’t work out in a particular job may have left some openings as well. The cafeteria always seems to need extra people. Also, keep your ears open for any jobs in the labs. At some schools those are nicely paid and would be right up your alley with all the science classes you are taking.</p>

<p>You are taking a heavy load in a demanding major and your GPA means everything for getting into med school. If you want a job that badly, consider backing down your course schedule or majoring in an easier major…or realize that school is more important than money right now and you can stop relying on your parents for money when you graduate :D.</p>

<p>21 units for a freshman engineering student sounds too, too high. I really do not recommend that.</p>

<p>My D had a work study job that was VERY flexible. In a similar major she was only able to work half of the semesters she was in school. Labs and a heavy course load made it almost impossible to fit a job in.</p>

<p>Thank you for the advice; @arabrab I know it’s high but they are courses I can definitely manage and am strong in (intro to literature, second semester chem biology and physics, and intro to engineering) so besides the workload I’m not too worried about doing well. </p>

<p>I still have the cashier job at the supermarket (it’s a chain) back home so I realize I can still make decent money over the winter break and good money over the summer. Thanks!</p>

<p>If you don’t need the money, invest your time in your studies for now. If you take a job off campus, keep it to 10 hours a week.</p>

<p>My son is living at home and going to community college, so he’s in the local “minimum wage job” market. The horrible thing that some of the employers do is to not give you a clue as to when you will be scheduled and for how many hours. The last time he was interviewing, when he asked the question, he was told by one place that they absolutely could not tell him. Another “15 hour a week” job only hired people who said they were available 24/7. He was interviewing at a time when he wasn’t in school and the only time he said he wasn’t available was Sunday mornings (he teaches Sunday School) and they said he would only be considered if they could literally schedule him any day any time.</p>

<p>So, some jobs will work and some are a no go.</p>

<p>No, no, no. Don’t work in addition to your courses and volunteering (and keep the latter down in your first year, too). Unless you do not have food or something, concentrate on your studies. Some schools don’t have a work requirement for financial aid in the first year, so that kids can make the transition to college without the added burden of working.</p>

<p>It sounds like you have already made the best decision.</p>

<p>One way to think about it is that by focusing on long term goals, you increase your long term employability and income. Focusing on short term goals like money in your pocket can interfere with long term goals, so in, say, 10 years or so, you could end up considerably worse off as a result of having money for pizza.</p>

<p>That said, I understand that for some families, that extra money is really needed. But if you can avoid working while on campus for your first year, do it. It may be that other, more rewarding and better-paying work will come up as you are on campus for awhile and get to know the department and faculty better. That is what happened for my son.</p>

<p>And you can work in the summer, perhaps at an internship that pays.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>I understand why some parents are nervous about term-time jobs. My experience, however, was that both of my kids were happier, and their school performance improved, when they had part-time jobs that gave them cash and that did not relate directly to their studies. It expanded their social circles, addressed a major source of anxiety, increased their independence and maturity, gave a bunch of structure to how they spent their time, and stimulated parts of their brains that weren’t otherwise getting attention.</p>

<p>I, too, encouraged them not to work their first years, but in hindsight I think I was wrong.</p>

<p>D1 worked all four years in college. D2 is doing the same. As a matter of fact, it was a condition for us to continue to give them an allowance in college. D2 is working 8-10 hours a week, and doing various ECs. They both got a job on campus, which gave them more flexibility to balance school work and job. They also could walk to their jobs. </p>

<p>Engineering is difficult (I’ve heard). You may want to wait a semester before you get a job, but overall I think it is a good idea to have a job while in college. Many employers are reluctant to hired interns without any work experience, even if it is being a cashier at a supermarket.</p>

<p>First of all, there is no way you should work if you don’t have to. </p>

<p>You will get a higher dollar return on your time if you borrowed the money and studied harder. If you feel bad, borrow the money from your folks, keep a ledger and pay them back later. Pay them interest if you want to. Invest in yourself. Your parents and your FinAid benefactors are investing a lot in you. Having you work in a supermarket dilutes their investment. Keep your eye on the ball. </p>

<p>Your time is precious, invest it wisely. </p>

<p>In terms of the logic some parents have about their being emotional benefits to working, I say that you are studying engineering. Engineering is not emotional. It’s logical, it’s quantitative. Do the math. It’s clear that your parents have and I commend them for it. Your time is better spent studying. Get over it. </p>

<p>Finally, in this economy, don’t feel bad about not working. If you take a menial job like that, you’re taking it away from someone who actually needs it to put food on the table. Get over it.</p>

<p>Dear ClassicRockerDad:</p>

<p>What part of “their school performance improved” do you fail to comprehend? Or is your little screed an ironic example of engineering “logic”? When you “do the math,” is it not possible that emotional benefits have quantitative consequences? In my world, that is often the case.</p>

<p>For that matter, is your little screed an ironic example of engineering “English”? I am pretty sure I get your drift, but I submit that the following almost entirely lacks meaning, much less logic:</p>

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