Working Students Facing Problems While in College

Independently of their background, any person attending to college or any other educational institution faces pitfalls, even more when he or she is a working student. The years that students spend in College are really arduous. With two or more classes taken, a student finds himself or herself stressed out with assignments, essays, quizzes, projects, and the like to pass each class and go to the next semester.

Some receive financial support from government or other institutions to help pay for textbooks, tuition, transportation, and other school-related expenses. But many others (like me) do not receive financial aid and have to work to get through college path. I have listed some of the numerous drawbacks to manage:

Problems at School

The first place where students start to fail is college. The weigh of college and work responsibilities make them face problems in school because of their work schedule. As a result, for those who chose early classes, they may fall asleep. Likewise, those who choose in-the-afternoon classes may get late. Students are sometimes too tired to pay attention; consequently, they get behind in classes. Also, they have no time at all to do or complete their homework; therefore, their grades drop dramatically. No matter the nature of the job, working is a time-consuming and tiring activity.

Problems in Personal and Social Life

Similarly, there are more problems at home. Because working students are too busy, they have no time for leisure such as going out with friends, watching a movie, or attending group meetings. They lack time for relaxing or sleeping. These are the factors that lead to health and mental problems. In the worst of cases, eating and sleeping disorders, anxiety, or depression take place. Usually, their room is very messy and untidy. When they get days off, those days are dedicated to study and complete missing assignments.

Furthermore, most of these students have a haggard look. They got eye bags and a pale skin tone. On top of that, they show high levels of aggressiveness and change of mood. This cause a handicap for them to socialize with peers and attend meeting groups.

Problems at Work

Moreover, they may get problems at work. They try to study while working, which is forbidden. Often, they get caught and reprimanded. The lack of sleep may make them rude to customers. That attitude can cause serious problems with their employer, for instance losing their jobs or cut of hours. Any of these two is a huge handicap to pay for bills and other expenses.

However, working while studying helps build a strong resume. It clearly shows how the student handles responsibilities at the same time, which is good to convince the prospect employer. Working teaches students about responsibility and reinforce what they are learning in school. It helps develop relevant skills such as time-management and team work spirit.

Also, it can lighten the debt burden of education. Since they begin working earlier than others, working students tend to borrow less money or finish to pay off earlier than others, even with less interest rate. It’s an advantage for them to get more jobs at school since they meet the requirements that counselors and administrators establish. "College costs are high, and young adults also want the amenities that extra money brings,", states John B. Boshoven, counselor for continuing education at Community High School in Michigan.

In conclusion, college problems are relatively linked to each other and impact negatively to any student, despite of the resources available for him or her. In my opinion, I put my priorities before my leisure, which was hard to do when all my friends approached to me every weekend to hang out and forget about our obligations for a while. But it was worthy to reject their offer because when our final grades were posted I could see the big difference between my friends and me. They found themselves struggling academically and begging for extra credit while I began to plan my free time. To sum up, it’s a matter of balance time wisely and putting priorities before distractions without depriving time with friends and family.