It is not a new thing that having an additional pay/side gig has advantages. Getting a job in your most memorable year in school is certainly not an ill-conceived notion as there are quite a few reasons why one needs to engage in such. Let us discuss, Should You Get a Job in Your First Year in College?
Individuals in college come from various circles of life and foundations. Generally, things are not the same for everyone. It could range from mental, monetary, and social limits.
In this article, you will see possible reasons for getting a job in the first year of college and factors to be considered before getting a job as a freshman in college.
Here are a few reasons why getting a job in your first year in college is important:
For better money management
As a freshman in college, having just left home for the first time, you may have little or no experience handling money and may end up broke. You can get a job as a waiter, barista, or at the community center to help earn some money. You begin to appreciate the value of money a little more cause you are making that money yourself and you learn to save. After all, there’s no harm in having some extra pocket money.
For a better work experience/further study
Getting a job as a freshman gives one advantage for better work experience and earning potential in most cases. It helps in polishing up your resume when seeking work and gives you opportunities to further your career. Research has proven that people who take care of business have higher earning privileges in their professions.
Further study is a sensible enough reason to get a job as a student, particularly in the first year in college, students can take local/ internship jobs that will help enhance current knowledge, and personal and professional development and aligns with their field of study that helps deal with the modern world of work.
As a Means of student loans payment
Student financial aid is a government funding scheme created to assist students in paying for university tuition fees, books, and living expenses. For some students, applying for student loans is the only way to afford to attend college, therefore, incurring debts.
Not all students are from well-to-do homes or have the choice to not work due to not having a sponsor. In the case of students from poor homes in need of education who have little or no choice, student loans have given opportunities to help students with financial needs.
Having a job, better still an employer-sponsored job or a federal work-study helps for flexible payment of student loans. It is available to first-years, graduates, and professional students with financial needs.
Helps in Soft skills development
You may be wondering what I mean by soft skills. Soft skills comprise character/social traits and interpersonal skills that enhance a person’s relationship with other people.
Communication, leadership, problem solving, time management, teamwork, and patience are just a few of them. Just as hard skills are learned abilities acquired through practice, repetition, and education such as writing, reading, or programming. Soft skills are equally as essential in a work environment as hard skills.
As a student, being in a work environment you are expected to interact daily with people, you learn better ways to handle real-life problems that enhance a person’s character development which makes for better Interaction and ability to solve real-world problems.
Some Possible Factors Needed to be Considered Before Getting a Job in Your First Year in College.
Does having a job as a freshman affect my mental health?
Mental health includes anxiety, depression, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. According to the World Health Organization {W.H.O}, depression has proven to be a leading cause of disability that reduces the work productivity of a person. The mental health of a person plays a vital role in our daily lives, and the ways we think, ways we feel, and ways we act.
Some people have the mental ability to juggle work and school, mind you, nobody is born with these abilities but as one progresses, we tend to understand our body system. Some may learn to adapt or develop coping skills, and some may likely not.
As students, it is hard in most cases to have to deal with the responsibilities of schoolwork and keeping a job all at the same time. It becomes demoralizing to one’s ability to concentrate and hinders a person’s performance in handling multiple tasks or deadlines.
If you are experiencing mental health problems at work, it’s important to confide in someone about it and get solutions. So before going ahead to get a job as a first-year student it’s important to consider ways it could affect your mental health and if you can handle it.
How will having a job as a freshman affect my schoolwork and social life?
First-year in college is usually the most exciting, you gain a lot of independence and are open to exploring your newfound freedom. You get to meet new people, make friends, and build relationships.
As a student, it’s important to create time to socialize, hang out with friends, and create lifelong experiences while still being able to balance schoolwork. Working a job and balancing schoolwork and social life can be quite stressful. Your time management skill is put to the test which in most cases can result in poor performance and low productivity due to fatigue and stress. Before you consider getting a job in your first year of college, you might want to consider the effect it has on your academic progress and social life.
Getting a job as a first-year in college has most times been beneficial to students in more ways than one. When it comes to why a person should get a job in the first year of college, it is necessary to know that there are factors to be considered as having different personalities, different backgrounds, and financial capabilities.
