I’m a full time college student (that my parents pay for) and my Dad is now pressuring me to get a job because I need money and i’m “Lazy and do nothing all day”. My mom on the other hand defends me, because I have hours of schoolwork to do outside of class. When I’m not working on classwork, I’m programming games because that’s where my true interest lies, and I feel if I get a job on top of college I won’t have any time to pursue what I actually want and I’ll just end up with a CS degree I don’t plan on using and nowhere closer to my goals. I’ve always wanted, and planned on starting my own business and my CS degree was just a backup plan. Any advice or suggestions?
Get a job. You should be able to work 8-10 hours a week…with no problem.
It will also be good to have some employment on your resume when you apply for internships and jobs.
And you will also have some of your own earned money.
I’m not sure why you are objecting to this!
Sorry, but I did it.
I was part of a crowd that worked at a local seafood restaurant. Each of us worked 4 nights a week-- typically Fri, Sat, Sun and a weeknight, from 4 till closing (10ish on a weeknight, midnight on a weekend.)
My parents were kind enough to pay for my tuition. But all my other expenses-- insurance, gas, clothes, entertainment-- were on me.
The same was true of my siblings and everyone I knew. No one I knew was “just” a college student.
I was the dummy with a 3.8 GPA. Most of my friends had 4.0’s. And all of us graduated after 4 years, and had jobs lined up at graduation.
Both my 17 year old and 19 year old work. The 14 year old has a job lined up for next summer.
If you “need money” I suggest you get a job so you’ll have some. At some point, mommy and daddy should stop paying your way. I think that time is long past.
I agree with your father, get a job.
you wrote this in January:
You haven’t worked, you didn’t participate in high school clubs and activities. You need to pull yourself away from your computer and experience things.
Luke, you’d be surprised how any old ordinary job is going to get your closer to your goals.
For one thing, you will learn to be a better time manager/project manager when you have more obligations on your plate. This is essential for virtually every occupation and profession on the planet.
For another thing, earning money is going to teach you more about finance, how the economy works, and why getting established professionally is so difficult (i.e. something to aspire to).
And third thing- unless you have dialysis three times a week or another serious medical problem, I have never met a college kid who didn’t have time for a part time job.
At a minimum, it will give you something to commiserate with when you start interviewing for full-time jobs.
whether you are folding sweaters at the Gap, chasing grocery carts around a parking lot, or working the help desk at the library, everyone LOVES to hear about “my first awful job”.
So get off your duff and get a job!
Maybe your dad is feeling a little strapped paying for your education and he’d like to see a little more effort on your part.
And you’ll get a head start on complaining about FICA and taxes and other things. My daughter has been complaining about sales tax since age 3 when she realizing having a dollar to spend on something was probably not going to be enough to actually buy something at the store. Now that she’s working, she’s complaining about FICA and how she doesn’t really make as much per hour as the paycheck says she makes.
Why don’t you get a job programing games if that’s what you like to do?
Sorry to pile on but… get a job. You have 8-12 hours a week for a job. Trust me.
See if you can get one at your school that has a flexible schedule and may even be in your area of interest.
You aren’t wrong, but I would like to clarify that I have had a job before. I was laid off on my last job because the business closed down; however, that was about six months ago. Now I would like to focus my attention onto my game development and starting my own business. I don’t want to end up with a degree that was meant as a “back-up plan” with no progress on what I actually want to do.
8-12 hours a week will not significantly decrease the amount of attention you pay to your future goals.
Get a job. If possible get a job at a small business where you can interact with the owner some. It’s harder to try to start a business if you’ve never worked in one.
You make it sound like it’s one or the other: get a job and have a useless degree or don’t get a job and follow your dreams.
There IS a plan C: Get a job. And major in whatever it is you want to major in.
How on earth have you gotten by for six months with no spending money? My 17 year old’s summer job closes down for the winter this week. She’ll be putting in lots of hours cleaning them for the shutdown. And she has a winter job lined up-- the owner of the diner where she’ll be hostessing promised today that she would hear from him this week. She’s already counting her nickels and dimes because there may be a lag time of a week or so between jobs.
Six months with no income would kill her. No gas money, no insurance,no Buffalo Wild Wings, no phone.
And she’s still in high school…
Your mother is not doing you a favor by “defending” you.
Yup, take the time you spend programming games and get a job. Many students work part-time to help with expenses.
Get a job! My DD is carrying 17 hours and working two part-time jobs related to her major. The money isn’t great but it helps, most importanly she’s making connections and building her resume. One of her job perks is a free on campus parking pass:-)
How will you fund your game? How will you fund your business? Who are your investors that you will need to pay back? Where is all of your start-up money coming from? You have to pay taxes on your business. Who do you plan on borrowing money from?
Are you going to be riding the couch at your parents house for the rest of your life?
Your life partner won’t want to do that.
Get a job and pay your own tuition. I completely agree with Dad.
Yes, everyone is right! Work is valuable, no matter what goal you have. Do you really expect your parents’ hard work to support whatever it is you are doing right now? All legal work is honorable and beneficial. You will be stunned by how much you learn at any job!
I agree, but for some majors like a pre med kid, I may not push for a job so much. It is just so dang competitive these days.
My daughter doesn’t have a job because she’s taking 19 (yes 19!) credits this semester to graduate on time (in May). She’s got a full ride scholarship. She plays a sport which takes about 20 hours a week.
But she has money in the bank to pay for her needs. She doesn’t ask me for money.
If I were your dad, I wouldn’t say another word about getting a job, I’d just stop paying for things I think you should have your own money for. Tuition and books? Sure, I’d pay. Pizza and games and anything else? Sorry buddy.
We asked S not to work his first year mainly to give him time to adjust. He dug himself a hole academically. With the demands of his major, he, like you, had “hours of schoolwork to do outside of class”. Starting in second year until he graduated, he worked 10 hours a week (15 hours in summers). He also spent hours and hours participating in medically related ECs every week, spent one term not only maintaining FT status but just sitting in a MCAT prep course (3 hours/4 nights a week), this did not count the time he actually spent studying for test. IMO working PT immensely improved his time management skills, people skills, communication skills, garnered him a very strong rec letter, taught him how to manage his own money and not rely on bank of mom and dad, simply made him a more responsible, more productive adult. And he always found time to have a college life. You have 10 hours a week. Get a job.