Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 4 Issue 1

Working While in College:
The Good, the Bad and the Privileged
Sophana Norville
Each student’s journey through
college is unique and comes with
its own set of responsibilities,
sacrifices and commitments to achieve
academic success. For students who also
work, many have found that they begin
to take on even more roles.
Erika Logan, a senior majoring in
fashion merchandise, has been working
at her apartment’s leasing office since
her freshman year. She said working
can be time consuming depending how
many hours you work a week, but she’s
found balance in her routine.
“I usually try to work on assignments
and start to study days ahead of the due
date, so I’m not cramming everything
in a short period of time,” Logan said.
“But as for my social life, I don’t usually
see friends until the weekends when
I’m done with school and work for the
week.”
However, she said she’s been able to
work shorter hours this year helping
alleviate any interference working
might have put on her.
The reason for working while in school
varies from person to person. Some
students need to get a job to help them
pay bills while others might do it just so
they can keep themselves occupied. No
matter what the reason is, having a job
can be a struggle for everyone.
According to a 2020 National Center
for Education Statistics study, 74% of
undergraduate students were working
part-time while being enrolled in
school.
An added factor of stress in having a job
while being in college is finding one.
At the University of Alabama, there’s
a variety of campus jobs that many
students are vying for ease of location,
an understanding that education comes
first and connections to the campus
community.
College students have a variety of jobs
they can choose from. Some prefer to
work on campus and be closer to their
classes. Other students work off campus
at the local businesses in town where the
hours may vary and fit their schedules.
“I can also schedule my own hours which
is nice,” said Giovanna Cinello, a senior
majoring in criminal justice who works
as a residential desk assistant. “There’s
a good chance that I can get the hours I
am looking for in that particular week.”
It is a privilege not to have to work
while being a student. It gives you the
time to do other things that you like.
Unfortunately, not having a job while
in college is a luxury not everyone can
afford to have.
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