Should I work 1/2 days a week in my final year of college?

[lettersfortheeditor]

About to start my last year of college in September and I am contemplating whether to work part time or not through the college year.

For context I am fortunate enough that I will not need to work to survive getting by (food, accom etc), but more so for personal enjoyment like going here and there on some occasions, meeting with friends for drinks/food and stuff of that sort.

Part of me wants to work to have that little bit extra pocket money while also showing future employers that I am eager to work even when in college as I lacked experience prior to my semester purely for an internship.

The other part of me wants to just give myself as much free time as possible to try do as well as I can with my college work.

What do yous reckon ay?

 

[sapiens]

@lettersfortheeditor I found I actually did more study when working part time, it can be helpful having a bit of structure.

From a purely financial point of view whatever gets you the best grades is probably best. I don’t think a part time job with a 2.2 is better than a 2.1 without one.

So I guess imo it depends on whether that work will negatively affect your marks? Would you quit the job if you were falling behind at college?

 

[nsllovesgod]

@lettersfortheeditor Depends on the intensity of your final year also.
Some courses may have relatively lax final years, some have a module or 2 that obliterate your time.

I myself worked 2 diff jobs through the 1st portion of my last year (maybe 25hrs total work time across multiple days), and eventually just had a mental break with how much I had to do, it wasn't maintainable at all, had modules that were just time pits and I needed all the hours I could get just to throw at CAs and projects. I ended up dropping all outside work apart from doing 6hrs on a Saturday for cash in hand to afford petrol to get to college, but that was it.

Other people I know coasted (relatively speaking) through final year of university as their modules outside their FYP etc. Weren't as intense.

I would recommend you try and maintain a job, but the moment you feel it having even a slight impact, drop it if it's not crucial and poor all that time into study.
The couple of grand you will make during 4th year is nothing compared to the difference a 2.1 Vs 2.2 will get you in your starting role.

I found my friends with 2.2s found it harder getting good starting jobs. (Pay was lower and generally for companies with alot less ability to climb up the ladder)

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@nsllovesgod Yeah I definitely hear you here. I am aiming for a 2:1 minimum in college. So I believe I will need to dedicate quite abit of time to projects/study etc, alot more time than in I did in comparison with my previous college years as they were not as crucial.

Thanks for your take on it.

 

[ragheb]

@lettersfortheeditor A balance is needed. I was the type that if I had loads of time, I'd end up wasting it and cramming at the end but if I was tight for time I'd be very efficient and get things done. The element of having loads of time relaxed me but introduced complacency. I needed the reduced time to study to kick myself into gear. What type of person are you? If you can juggle the job and achieve decent results, do it.

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@ragheb Like you mentioned in the second sentence I feel as though I may be the same. If I have a significant amount of time to do somerhing I will probably put it off more often than not haha.

 

[kevinjday]

@lettersfortheeditor You can always work for a while, see how it goes and stop it it gets too difficult!

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@kevinjday Yeah thats true too. Thanks for the reply

 

[supersenior]

@lettersfortheeditor Depends on your course I suppose. Final year engineering was fucking intense for me. Completely burned out in xmas exams and did shit. Took out a loan to live off and left my job in febuary to see out the last semester and honestly it was so needed. Ended up very relaxed and did really well in final exams. Final award did suffer though because of poor xmas results.
That was my experience if it helps.
If I was to do it again I'd leave work in september

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@supersenior Yeah I get what you there. To be honest I wouldnt be the most academically gifted, so I would say I would probably have to work abit harder than some in my course to achieve the same result. For that reason alone I was kind of considering just taking the full year to concentrate on college. But i also dont want to get complacent with all the extra time I’ll have too, like someone mentioned previously in a different comment.

 

[supersenior]

@lettersfortheeditor Complacent is not a word I'd use to describe downtime in final year lol
You need time to rest

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@supersenior Yeah youre right. I think I’ll just appreciate whatever time I do have and try my best to make the most out of it.

 

[searching_soul12]

@lettersfortheeditor No. You don't need to, focus on your studies.

Unless you plan to have a career in the area you're currently working as opposed to what you're studying?

You already have some work experience for the cv. At most you might pick up work in college related to your field of study - lab tech or assistant or something small like that

 

[joy67]

@searching_soul12 You can “focus on your studies” and also work part time. My friend just got a 2.1 while working 20+ hours and training 4+ days a week. Went on nights out often and still played video games… all about time management and not having 4 hours of screen time a day then complaining you’re so busy.

 

[searching_soul12]

@joy67 You sure can, I got my own 2.1 working weekends + 2 evenings a week myself.

I wouldn't advise anyone in a position to not work while studying to do so - unless its few hours and related to their field of study/career path.

Focus on getting the best education you can & enjoy your free time while you're young.

Particularly if you're only working for the social aspect, join some college societies instead

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@searching_soul12 Thank you also.

 

[lettersfortheeditor]

@joy67 I need to get in touch with your friend….

In all honesty you are right. It’s definitely doable with the right steps in place.

 

[jb1110]

@lettersfortheeditor Absolutely.

Having work experience will give you an advantage when you are looking for a job after college. There are a lot of things college doesn't teach you and you can learn a lot from any job. Gets you references as well.

 

[spiritsight]

@jb1110 It depends really, if they don’t need the money I’d probably leave it. It’s a lot easier to get good marks when you’re not exhausted from work. Ensuring they get at least a 2.1 should be their number one priority otherwise it could be a lot more difficult to get a grad job. The 2.1 is a criteria for a lot of grad jobs, the job in the shop is something that makes you a more interesting candidate in a shortlist of suitably qualified candidates

 

[jessicadarliingx]

@lettersfortheeditor I did an IT degree and the final year was far and away the hardest year of my course. I also worked 3 nights mid week. If I could have afforded it I definitely wouldn't have worked.

Depending on your degree I wouldn't anticipate having too much free time either.