Working Through College Essay

The word college comes with a lot of stressful thoughts. From where to go, what to be and what to do the get there. College is a shared thought with many throughout the minds of many American teenagers. Unfortunately, the biggest stress with college is the cost. The average cost of a public university in the 2016-2017 school year was $24,610 (collegedata). While some students are lucky enough to get full rides, many of other Americans have to work to pay their way through college. One reason why working through college is one of the best ways to pay for it is because you avoid larger student loans. A student loan is a loan taken out by a college student to help pay for tuition, fees, etc. The average 2016 college graduate in the United States had a student debt of $37, 172 with up to $300 monthly payments to pay off this debt (studentloanhero). For example, the average college student is in college from September to May, which is a nine month period with an average cost of $25,000. If you take a working college student who is working at an average of $8 an hour for 30 hours a week and is being paid biweekly, that student is bringing in around $500 every two weeks which is around $1,000 a month. If you take $25,000
and split it up to make it to pay for college monthly, the outcome is around $1,400 every two weeks for a total of $2,800 a month. On one hand, you have a student who is having student loans pay for every bit of college while building interest throughout the process and you also have a student who is paying off $1,000 a month. This means instead of having $25,000 in student loans for one year, the working student will only have $17,000 in student loans. Working through college can pay off in more than just money.
One example would be the time management skills you will acquire from working and going to school. Both school and work require a lot of effort and attention. In school, you will have projects, essays, and assignments due on certain days. While working, you have to make sure that you’re able to work your school assignments while also working at your job (thebalance). When you’re given a schedule from your school and job, you have to carefully plan out different times to study and work on schoolwork around your jobs schedule. Working through college also helps students to learn to multitask, work with themselves, and push themselves to work harder than they thought they
could. Another way working through college pays off in other ways than money is that students can get a lot of experience in their field of study if they work in a job that is in that field. If students are able to find a job in their field of study, it will look better to have that experience on their resume. Also, students can often find internships which can turn into paying jobs. In 2015, 86% of college graduates had no job lined up in their field of study after college (thedailycaller). This is why it is important for students to try to get their foot in the door before they are completely out of the other. Working through college is one of the best ways for a student to obtain their degree. College often comes with debt, so working to pay for some of college helps to bring that debt price down. Working also gives students a way to better their time management skills and get a step ahead of the game called life.