Time Management.

It seems there is somewhat of a thin line between benefiting from learning to balance work and school, and working too much which leads to grades suffering. That threshold is an average of working 20 hours a week at an on-campus job. As Kim Clark reported for US News, working no more than those 20 hours a week is a good way for college students to learn time management while also putting some extra money in their pockets. Working while in college can help better gear you to work with different types of people in group projects and in the future, as well as help you network with others in your same field of study.

Though there are many pros to adding in a few shifts of work to your busy school schedule, there are some cons as well. One, is that it is very easy to become overworked. Taking extra shifts to earn more, and some students even work multiple jobs to support themselves while in college. Soon going to classes becomes rare, and getting assignments done on time becomes harder and harder to incorporate into an already hectic schedule. Working while being a full time student can help you become a more well rounded person with the experiences you'll get working with people of different backgrounds and work ethics, but it can also easily take the spot as your number one priority, leaving school on the back burner.

For some of us working is a necessity which means that even if it did become too stressful, there is not much leeway for the person to just quit their job and focus on their studies. They simply have to continue working anyway, which one could argue would help the student learn to manage their time better. But there are the scenarios where the overall outcome of working while in school does more harm than good. Although studies and research have found that there are many positive benefits to balancing work and school, many students are simply too tired, and miss out on a lot of the things they could be doing on campus for work.

Walking around campus, or even just at my own place of work, there are times when you can see school and working to support yourself takes a toll. Some of us pull all nighters on top of work and attending classes to get things done

Learning to Balance.

Working while balancing school and a personal life is one of the major balancing acts of adolescents. Learning to decide when you should or shouldn't go out with your friends is just the first step. Soon students get to the point that they are no longer putting in much effort to any aspect of their life. Instead they are skipping classes and assignments they deem as a lower priority in order to work or sleep, and going out with friends on days off becomes nothing more than a distant memory. Being able to balance time appropriately is a hard skill to master.  The average student already struggles with trying to use their time efficiently and meet all of the deadlines and requirements necessary to pass a course, but once you add in employers who typically believe that they are your main priority into the mix, it becomes even harder to balance everything easily. On top of work and school, college students are expected to be making lifelong connections and networking with people at the same time. It is then expected that we will take on an internship at some point, or do some sort of volunteer work in our field of study to give us a more hands on approach to learning the information we are being taught in class. At the end of the day, the tight rope working students walk to try and balance out their school and work which tend to be competing priorities and also maintaining a social life and keeping ourselves in good health is almost an impossible task. More likely than not, at least one of these obligations will result with us falling short. Missing important deadlines because of work, or deciding to go out with friends instead of sleeping before an early shift the next morning can all have a lasting impact on a student’s life. In some cases, realizing you’re slacking in one area may help you refocus for a while, but soon enough you realize that it’s difficult to not start making another area of your focus a back thought.

Not only does working while in school tend to cause students to lose focus, it also causes a lot of students to miss out on different academic opportunities due to a lack of time. As a student, I feel that this is ultimately the biggest downside to working while in school. Although not being able to focus on any one area as much as you should is a big deal as well, missing out on chances to get involved with school activities that could help you build a stronger resume when leaving college is a major downside. Students working while in school typically do not have the time required to dedicate to a school organization or club, which is something that can affect them in the long run. New employers want to see that a student is well rounded and can work well in groups, and has dedicated time to internships and volunteer work when hiring them. That’s something that cannot be done if you’re already battling time to fit in school and work. In the long run, does working while being a college student affect your lifelong goals?

The Average Student.

Everyone wants to be able to earn their own money, right? To know at the end of the day that you've earned your money, and therefore can do with it what you please. I've always believed that college students are at the most ideal working age there is, because it's at this age that we can be a bit selfish with our money. Aside from maybe taking responsibility for a couple of my own bills at this point in my life, you would expect that most of my money is mine to do with it as I please. To pay to fix the iPhone 4s I've accidentally broken 4 times now (oops).

Now that I'm nearing the end of my first semester of college though, I've gotten the chance to experience this lifestyle of school and work once again. As a senior in high school I worked two part-time jobs, and as a freshman in college, I continue to work pretty much full time, averaging 30+ hours a week on top of being a full time student. I've learned I'm not the only one. In the Stonestown mall alone, a good majority of the employees are college students working to put themselves through college as much as possible. Studies have shown  that parent's are actually contributing less to their children's education financially than they did three years ago.

The students trying to balance work and school are typically stuck with the dilemma of constantly trying to keep school as the number one priority while work continues to push it's way to the top. The outcome of the work and school balancing act is usually college students either skipping classes or assignments due to not enough time or pure exhaustion in some cases, to consuming large amounts of caffeine on a regular basis to keep them going.

What I'm interested at looking further into is how the all work and school lifestyle plays out for college students in the end. Are people missing out on the elusive "college experience" because all of their free time is spent at work? Or is the whole college experience overall just as good for all?