Script Draft: Having a Job in College

Music.

Risner:  Hello.  My name is Lauren Risner.  I am currently a freshman student attending Arizona

            State University.  Without receiving much financial aid from my parents and pretty much

            being responsible for paying for my education on my own, I have realized the significant

            amount tuition is and how difficult it is to receive and maintain a job, while balancing

            good grades and a social life.  Tuition alone is around $10,000.  Then, there are the

            expenses of living on campus, paying for a meal plan, books, and various other fees that

            the university charges students (such as gym membership, internet connection, health

            services, RHA, and many others).  After all those fees, students and parents are generally            

            engulfed in thousands of dollars in debt or left with empty pockets and no spending

            money for fun things college students typically wish to enjoy.  Receiving a job 

            is a thought that comes across many students minds during their college experience.

Music.

Risner:  There are many positive and negative effects of students maintaining a job throughout

            college.  One of the things to consider while receiving a job during college is the question

            of whether grades will be affected in a negative or positive way.  Olenka Wrobel, a

freshman student attending Arizona State University, is here with us today to share her intake on how having a job during college affects her grades.

Wrobel:  I have been working since the end of junior year in high school.  Having a job helped

            me learn how to balance my time and organize things.  Time management skills were

            awesome.  I did just as well with my grades as I did before.  Nothing really changed, like

            before I had a job and after I had a job.  Then in college, at first it was hard to balance

college and work because college was so new and I was still getting used to it.  After I started only working weekends, it got easier and I was able to focus more in class and succeed in my academic career. 

Risner:  A lot of students are worried that their grades will drop due to having a job and become

            worried that they will be too stressed out and not have enough time to focus on school. 

            Did those thoughts and concerns ever occur to you?

Wrobel:  Yes, yes they did.  For the first month and a half, I was working 25-30 hours a week

            and it was really taking a toll on my grades.  I felt stressed and overwhelmed.  After

            reducing my hours to 15-20 per week, I was able to get back on track with my grades,

            while still earning extra spending money.  In a way, having a job in college has definitely

            made me feel more responsible.

Risner:  Now we are going to take a moment to discuss how a student’s grades are affected after

            having a job to not having a job.  We will be talking to Dominick Garcia, also a freshman

            attending Arizona State University.

             

 Garcia: At first having a job made it hard to focus on my schoolwork and I can only imagine it

            did make my grades suffer some, but having a job did teach me how to manage my time

            and it showed me what matters most.  My education comes before my money.  I believe

            that even though my grades did not suffer much with a job, they definitely improved

            without having a job.  I am able to focus more on my work and my classes, and I don’t

            have to worry about staying up late hours in the night to finish an assignment.  I can

            do it during the day now, and be able to have a normal sleep schedule, instead of going

            on only a couple hours.

Risner:  Are you currently looking for another job, or do you like not having one while in

            school?

Garcia:  I am not looking for a job, because I actually do not like having a job while in school

            because I already get stressed enough with schoolwork as it is, and it kind of puts me

            at ease not having to worry about going to work and I can just worry about my schooling.

Risner:  Did you work during the week?  Or primarily weekends? Or both?

Garcia:  They would schedule me during the week and then randomly call me in to cover shifts

            during the week.

Risner:  So basically, the main concern about having a job in college is how it will affect grades

            and social life.  As we can see from both students, working during the week definitely

            affects grades and stresses students out.  For students who wish to maintain a job in

            college while keeping up their grades, having a job during the weekend or without very

            many hours would be the best idea for a job.  That way, they can focus on their

            school work and still manage to get a little spending money on the side for fun activities,

            or can start saving up their money for major future things.  Overall, having a job in

            college does help students feel more responsible and learn how to manage their time

            wisely.  For those who are looking for jobs in college and actually are willing to work, it

            is a good idea, just as long as it is in moderation and under control.