<p>I don't have a job and my parents want me to start working. I've never had a job before. I'm already 21 and this is my 4th year in a community college, going to transfer to a CSU. I've screwed on my first 2 years, but last year and this year, I decided to focus more on my life.</p>
<p>Next semester, I will be taking:
-ENG 125 (Writing Improvement) [Online class]: 4 units
-MUS 21 (Beginning Piano: Level 2) [M-Th 1 hour]: 2 units
-FRENCH 1 (Beginning French) [MW 3 hours]: 5 units
-HIST 12 (U.S. since 1877) [MW 2 hours]: 3 units
-PHYS 4A (Advance Physics) [MW 2 hours / Th 3 hours]: 4 units plus lab</p>
<p>I took 13 units last semester plus volunteering at a club. I'm the type of person who studies constantly and wouldn't stop one section until I understand the concept. I broke down a few weeks before finals, but eventually I passed all my classes with a GPA of 2.9 for the semester. My cumulative GPA is 2.6 right now. </p>
<p>I was wondering if with these classes, will I be able to fit at least a part-time job as well? 18 units in my college is the maximum a student can take unless you petition for more. I'm not doing any clubs and next semester is just focusing on getting a higher GPA, no exceptions (long story). I can't drop any of these classes because I'm expected to finish by Fall 2014 and I really want to get out of this college especially with the pressure I'm getting from my parents.</p>
<p>Your decision would ultimately have to depend on the job you’re looking at and its demands. Keep in mind that not all employers are considerate of students’ needs, which can be detrimental if you are focusing on raising your GPA and you’re not able to drop anything. If you’re not able to convince your parents to let you off the hook for this semester, I would choose wisely when job hunting. </p>
<p>Right now, I’m taking 18 credit hours and I have a part-time job (a 10 hour/week work study). Since it’s on campus, I can sometimes work between classes during the day so it doesn’t really cut into much of my evening homework/study time. I would start by seeing if any places on campus are offering jobs first before looking elsewhere. Most of them are required to accommodate student schedules and they remove extra hassles involved with off-campus jobs such as commuting time, etc.</p>
<p>I’d recommend that you focus more on your schoolwork than working a part-time job. 18 units is significantly more than the 13 units you took last semester, and given you had a bit of a breakdown with that course load, I think it may be better not to stretch yourself too thin, considering your higher course load this semester.</p>
<p>It is good to get work experience, but perhaps, you could try to find work during the summers so that you can focus on your schoolwork during the years. Or maybe you could find a job where you only work a few hours a week (like tutoring, babysitting, etc) so that you have some work experience but it doesn’t cut too much into your study time.</p>
<p>Agreed completely! It’s doable, but it doesn’t seem like you’re ready for the workload just yet.</p>
<p>Although I do think it looks a little bad that at age 21 you still haven’t had your first job, I think you should first consider your study habits to manage your time better. You mentioned:
Have you considered looking at free tutoring offered at your school? Studying constantly until you understand can take a really long time, and seeing as how you broke down in a 13 unit semester, you won’t have enough time for anything in an 18 unit semester. I think tutoring may help you understand the material quicker and better.</p>
<p>Since you’re transferring to a CSU, I do think that you should learn to manage your time better by then and try to pick up better study habits. I don’t know if it’s true in all places, but my local CC is significantly easier in terms of workload than university. I assume you’d be finishing up college in another 2 years at a CSU. You should either find a summer job or, once you manage your time better or lessen your load, find an on-campus job that will be flexible with your schedule. If you graduate at age 24 with no job (of any type), you won’t be competitive at all in the real world. </p>
<p>I agree that 18 credits and a job might be too much for you. Don’t worry about what your parents think or want; worry about how you can be the best student you can be. </p>
<p>School comes first, and it’s perfectly acceptable to have a school-only job when you’re taking a lot of units.</p>