The Life of a working College Student

             Some students may say the college life is fun, exciting, and memorable. But to others, it can also be very expensive.

 As a result, many students work during their time at college in order to keep up with their daily expenses. Junior English major Diego Finol at California State University of Long Beach said he works “because I need the money in order to live comfortably.”

  Some students enjoy working so they can develop a sense of independence. Sophomore speech pathology student at Orange Coast College states that she works “to earn money so I don’t have to rely on my mom all the time.”  

Amelia Gabriel (front left) is performing as a snowman at Knott's Berry Farm for their holiday parade.      Taken by Kyle Wirth

To a lot of students, gaining efficient working skills and experience is also motivating them to work during college.Sophomore math major Cameron Smith at California State University of Long Beach said, “I work because I want to have some experience in working before I have a full-time job after college and because I need some spending cash for myself.”

Gabriel also said, “I love the experience.”

The types of jobs many students work during their time at college often varies. Gabriel works as a choreographer for a children’s theater at a Jewish Community Center in Irvine Ca. She’s also a seasonal dancer in the Knott’s Berry Farm Christmas Parade.

Finol works as a sales associate at his local Toys R Us department store in Seal Beach, Ca.

 Toys R Us store in Seal Beach, Ca

where Finol currently works at.

Picture by Kyle Wirth.

           Smith currently works in the convenience stores at CSULB, but will switch next semester to be an SI leader for PreCalculus Algebra at CSULB.  

The logo of the convenience store where

Cameron Smith is currently working at CSULB.

Picture by Kyle Wirth.

Even though work hours during the school year is relatively low for most students, they’re still enough to keep them busy. Gabriel works a minimum of six hours a week at her choreography job, but possibly more when the Jewish Community Center or Knott’s Berry Farm needs her.

 Smith works only 10-11 hours a week “because school is a priority for me and I need to focus on that more than work.”

 Finol currently works about 6-12 hours a week, and he said that “It’s not all that much, but it’s enough to get by.”

 A lot of students who work often have various class loads to meet their needs. Smith is currently taking 13 units, including Calculus 3, Fundamental Concept of Advance Mathematics, Symbolic Logic, and Greek Mythology.

 Gabriel said that her class schedule is “Super light with very easy classes in order to be more flexible with work hours.”

 Finol claimed that he has a pretty heavy class load because they are upper division classes, but nothing too outrageous.

 Students who work and go to school may have a limited social life. But others still find the time to have fun.

 Gabriel said, “Sometimes it affects my social life with friends and my boyfriend because i have to work on the weekends, but for the most part, it doesn’t affect my social life.”

 Finol said that there not much impact because he stays in most of the time. But he still goes and hangs with his friend whenever he gets the chance.

 Smith said that with his work and school schedule, it’s hard to go talk to friends or do the activities he wants. But he still feels that he’s having an amazing college experiences, and he is making sure that he is having a well balance work, academic, and social life.

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Here’s a graph of the different types of college students who were employed in October, 2001. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2001 High School Graduates," News Release USDL 02-288.

Accuracy Check

• Amelia Gabriel: Second year at Orange College College.Studying speech pathology. Phone number: (562) 343-6895. Email: ameliagirly@yahoo.com
• Cameron Smith: Second year at California State University of Long Beach. Math Major. Phone number: (562) 310-4863. email: cameron.smith9469545@facebook.com
• Diego Finol: Third year at California State University of Long Beach. English major. Phone number: (908) 510-2344 Email: dafrom@facebook.com