Are you trying to find a part-time job? Are you uncertain of what to do about your work situation? Is working in college a good idea to begin with?
Before we get into the ideas of working in college, I wanted to share something with you.
Below are a few scary stats on student debt and debt in general in your 20s:
A typical college graduate will owe $22,700 by the time they walk on stage to pick up their diploma.
Average credit card debt of 25-34 year olds has climbed to $4,000 per person. Increasing 50% since 1989.
What can you do about this? The truth is that there are many online jobs for college students and ways that you can make money in school. There’s plenty of money for college students. You just need to do the following…
Stop being a loser and start working in college.
Stop complaining about how you can’t work or how you have no money. Stop being a loser and get a job. This is the single most effective strategy to help you reduce your student loan debt.
I’m not going to try reinvent the wheel here or inundate you with tips that you’ll never follow. Instead I’m going to point you to a few high quality articles that I’ve written here on making money in college. Don’t try to read them all at once. I suggest that you bookmark this page and check out the links at your convenience.
Why college is the best time to start a business. College students need to take advantage of this once-in-a-life time opportunity and use it to create something awesome. Starting that first business won’t get easier as you start a family or have bills to pay.
Motivation for college students that work. Working in college is going to be tough. It’s going to suck when everyone else is drinking and you’re working. These tips should help you out when you’re feeling completely down.
How My Friend Made $2100 From Tutoring. A real life example of how one of my friends used his skills in a completely dreadful program (Accounting) to coach others. If you can excel in a course that everyone else hates and you have the ability to dumb it down, then you could make some solid money from tutoring others.
What did my friends on Twitter have to say about working in college?
@SustainLifeBlog: Yes you should work in college and yes I did, usually 2 jobs. Don’t cave to easy loan money.
@Krystalatwork: All students should work while they’re in school. Helps keeps costs down and makes them more mature and responsible.
@iwp: I didn’t work, but played football. They wouldn’t let us have a job. You better work, intern or something to get some experience.
@bigcajunman: I worked a co-op term but not during school term, but off terms, taught me a lot about my industry.
Are there any regrets on working during college?
My favorite response on working in college came from Laura:
I enjoyed working during undergrad. I had several jobs on campus, working in the cafeteria, working in the writing center, and working as a research assistant. Working as research assistant was by far the best because it got me involved in my field more than classes alone did, but all of them were great ways to be involved with the campus community. I think at the time I actually I valued the connection to other students more than the money, but now that I’ve recently graduated, the cushion I built sure is nice to have.
@RevancheGS: I used to regret working in college and missing out on college fun. Now I don’t care.
@GrlRedBalloon: Nope! Working during college made me realize I didn’t want a career in the field I was studying for. The money also helped.
@blondeonabudget: I only worked part-time, so I still had time for homework and partying!
@amabaie: I was very happy paying my way through university. I was an orderly in a hospital – hard work with good pay.
@MJTM: I worked throughout college and loved having a few extra dollars.
@sunflowers_debt: I regret working full-time during graduate school, but working during undergraduate was the way to go.
@jjeffrose: I worked a bunch in college and at times I felt too much. Reflecting back, I’m glad I did. Helped lead to my success today.
@MoneySmart: I should have spent more time having fun and less time working in college.
How can you save money while working in college?
As you can tell it’s not impossible to hunt for jobs for college students. Working in college is pretty common. With that being said, it also makes sense to save some money in college. How can you save money while working in college?
Edward wrote in with:
Find an accountability partner. Someone that you have to talk to before you buy anything over a certain threshold, say $50. You have to justify the purchase to that person before you can buy it.
As you can see by now, working in college isn’t such a bad idea. There are plenty of jobs for college students. What’s holding you back from finding a freelance writing gig?