A student’s life is busy and crazy as it is. Study schedules, lectures, classes, assignments, tuitions, you name it and you’re doing it. Then the first question that pops up in your mind is ‘Will I be able to manage a part-time job as well?’
Well, the answer is a big YES. Yes! you can do it. Managing a busy student life while attending a part-time job is possible. With effective planning, real-time management, and proper organisation it is achievable.
In India, the concept of part-time jobs for students is just gaining popularity in recent years. The concept is relatively new in India.
However, students studying in foreign countries have been part of the job scene for a long time. It is not a new concept for these students.
Though the act of balancing a busy student schedule and a part-time job may seem like a daunting task, it is worth all the effort.
The benefits of part-time jobs for students exceed its disadvantages.
The 12 Advantages of Working While Studying Can Be Summarised as Follows:
1. Opportunity to Fill up Your Piggy Bank
Part-time jobs are not known for their hefty remunerations or huge take-home pay packages. Since they are part-time, these jobs are not high paying jobs.
However, one of the benefits of working part time for students is that the earnings from a part-time job are usually just enough to fill your piggy bank.
Generally, a part-time job can usually look after your daily food expenses or dormitory rent. For a student, this small remuneration can be rewarding enough.
2. Learn Money Management Skills
Earning from a part-time job teaches you to manage money very early on in life. Cash in hand for a student can be very attractive. Spending cash is easy. You can find a million things that you ‘want’.
However, when you earn that cash yourself, through hard work and dedication it’s a different story. You know how you have struggled to juggle between attending classes, studying, and at the same time working part-time.
You know the difficulty of the hard-earned money. This automatically teaches you to manage the money well.
Students who earn from part-time jobs usually spend their income well. They usually save it, use it to repay student loans, or send it home to their parents.
3. Improves Self Confidence
One of the benefits of working part time for students is that it improves self confidence. Working introduces you to a whole new world. Students become confident in how to face a working atmosphere.
Till now students were only exposed to a closed classroom kind of atmosphere. With part time jobs students gain confidence to face the real world.
4. Learn to Be Well Organised and Efficient
One of the benefits of working while studying is that you learn to manage time. The very fact that you will be balancing the act of shuffling between studying, attending classes, completing assignments, and at the same time working, improves your management skills.
You can divide time for all work and fulfill each job passionately. You learn to efficiently divide time for every task in the day. Working part-time as a student trains you to be well organised.
You May Also Like A Perfect Guide on Best Time to Study for Students
5. Independence – A Privilege
As a student, you are under the care and guidance of your parents at home and teachers in schools. However, working simultaneously as a student teaches you to be more independent and responsible.
While you are working you learn the hardships of earning money and therefore you spend it wisely. You learn to organize your day and manage the schedule of tasks in hand.
Remember independence is for the privilege of the few. It is for the strong. If you are given a chance to be independent, learn its tricks, and master the skill.
6. Learn New Skills
A classroom may not be able to teach you practical skills that a job will be able to. Working while studying allows you to learn certain skills early on in life.
The experience you gain in your workplace will help you a long way. The part-time job may or may not be connected to your academic course.
However, the expertise you gain at any job teaches you certain skills required for your future. As discussed above, working part-time while you are studying, teaches you time management, money management, and efficiency.
Apart from this it also teaches you the art of communication. A job always introduces you to various sects of people. Interacting with these different people teaches you the art of communication.
Learning to communicate well will help you at a later stage while attending interviews and furthering your career.
7. You Build a Network
Working part-time while you are a student enables you to build a strong network of acquaintances. These acquaintances may be useful to your purpose at a later stage.
It is useful to build a strong network of associates. These people may even offer you a permanent job after your academic course. Some of them may end up being your friends for life.
The more people you network with helps you at every stage of life. You will be surprised at how the infinite people you meet in your life, may help you at one point or the other.
Be it a job, looking for a house to stay in, financial advice, or just good friends. Working part-time gives you this added advantage of networking with people.
8. Experience Counts
Often while applying for jobs or attending interviews the employer seeks “work experience”. Attending part-time jobs while studying ensures that you get this experience.
An employer may not be looking for experience in your academic field. They may be looking for experience in interacting with people, communicating with customers, and general management skills.
Part-time jobs take care of this aspect. Working while you are studying makes certain that you have learned these skills and are experienced.
You May Also Like Job vs Business: Which Is Better?
9. It Looks Good on Your CV
One of the advantages of working while studying is that you can add it to your CV. A part-time job anywhere, even if not academically inclined, looks good on a resume.
A work experience definitely catches the employer’s attention. You will be given preference over someone having the same qualifications but without a part-time job work experience.
10. Opportunity to Study at The Workplace
Depending on the type of part-time job you get, you may be able to use your free time to study at the workplace. This is a time saver.
If your part-time job involves a front desk job, you may have time to open a book, between two customers. This wholly depends on what kind of part-time job you are working at.
Some jobs require you to be on your toes the whole time. In such a scenario studying in between may not be possible.
11. Learn Dignity of Labour
Working part-time to earn those little extra bucks, teaches you the dignity of labour. You can be working as a sales representative at a convenience store, a motel front desk operator, a bell boy, or even a gas station employee.
All these part-time jobs teach you the little things in life. Not everything is about an office with a view.
You may ask what is the best part time job for students? Well, the answer to this is solely personal. If your course is difficult and may take most of your time, it is advisable to look for a part time job that doesn’t take much of your time.
Remember, your main purpose is to earn your degree. The part time job is just aiding you with your expenses.
Choose a job that is close to your boarding and lodging. You won’t want to waste time travelling to your part time job everyday.
12. It’s Raining Discounts
A part-time job is a small job for a few hours. Usually, an employer may remunerate you with a few perks here and there.
For example, if you are working as a sales representative at a convenience store, the employer may give you an employee discount on items available in the store.
You may be a research analyst for an advocate or a bell boy in a hotel. The little tips you earn over and above your pay can help you eat that extra spoon of your favorite pie.
Many companies also give employee benefits to students working part time. These employee benefits may not be on the same lines as a permanent employee, but even a small benefit from an employee like subsidised lunch meals or travel expenses will benefit students greatly.
13. Great Contribution to Society
Students are the future. They are the ones that will be the torchbearer of tomorrow. Students who work part time additionally contribute to society while studying. Young minds and fit bodies are a great asset for society.
14. An Exercise without Even Knowing It
Working while you are studying keeps you on your toes the whole day. Believe it or not, but yes, you are exercising.
The daily routine and the busy schedule keep you going the whole day. An active mind and an active body never stagnate.
Exercise keeps the mind and body healthy and fresh. If you have to walk to your part time job, you can make it a brisk walk which serves the purpose of exercise for the day.
You can even improvise at your workplace and make small errands work as exercise for you. Health is important for everyone and especially for young bright minds, being healthy is paramount. Working part time can serve as a great form of exercise.
Conclusion
We have enlisted some of the benefits of part-time jobs for students. Part-time jobs, though not easy, is possible. With a bit of motivation and time management, you can strike the right balance between the two and come out as an achiever.
You May Also Like Job Hunting Tips for Students
