Are you considering getting a job while attending college? Here are the top five reasons you should get one! 

Quick View:

• You’ll learn critical time management skills
• Gain professional work experience
• Expand your network
• Improve your grades
• Fill your pockets – make some extra cash

For more information, Keep reading…

 

Financially, college can be a taxing experience. Yes…that was a finance pun… Student Loans, suffering bank accounts, and most importantly, nightly trips to Taco Bell. While this may not be everyone’s experience, it is common and some would question if you even lived the college experience if these were never your reality. Some students found a wonderful loophole in this lifestyle. The loophole is super secretive and isn’t something that a lot of people know about. It’s called getting a job. Working while you are in school has many benefits other than just earning yourself a nice little paycheck. Having a job as a student can teach time-management skills, provide professional work experience, help to expand your network, increase your grades, and most importantly, put a little extra cash in your pocket. 

 

Time Management Skills

Having time management skills as a student is critical. Being able to balance your class schedule, homework, activities, and sleep can be very difficult. I’m sure at this point you’re thinking “well throwing a job into the mix isn’t going to help”. While you may be right, there are a lot of ways to fit a job into your schedule that will allow you to strengthen your time management skills and allow you to balance those other factors more efficiently. One of the beauties of having a job is the amount of flexibility you can have. You get to pick where you want to work, so if you want to work part-time, you can do that. Find an employer that is very flexible with hours. In a college town like Springfield, employers understand that student’s lives are crazy, they will work with you. Once you land that job and begin working, you will then be able to set up a more structured schedule for yourself and when your schedule becomes more structured, your time becomes better managed. 

 

Professional Work Experience

Getting professional work experience is the name of the game for most college students these days. In many industries, companies are looking right over that GPA on your resume and moving their eyes down to your past work experience. While internships and service-learning are great opportunities, why not get a steady paycheck while gaining experience? There are plenty of departments hiring on campus here at Missouri State and even more hiring off campus! Chances are, you can find a job that applies to your future career that would strengthen your resume and put some money in your pocket. 

 

Expand Your Network

While many people believe that networking can only occur at career fairs and off-campus expositions, plenty of networking can be done right on campus. Many departments on campus have more connections to jobs after college than one might think. Working in one of those departments and doing a great job can be a great way for your boss to recognize your work ethic and bring you up in conversation about job opportunities. Not to mention you have earned yourself another reference for your resume. Before you look into that exposition that’s 500 miles away, stop and think about getting a job somewhere on campus that would allow you to greatly expand your network. Working somewhere such as your campus’s career center or in a department that pertains to your major might be some good places to start.

 

Improving Your Grades

I know what you’re thinking. How can having a job that is going to take more time out of my schedule and take away from my study time, help me improve my grades? Well here is your answer. Writer for CNBC Abigail Hess wrote an article covering this topic and found that students that work part-time jobs have a higher average GPA than non-working students. While the numbers are small, with part-time employed students averaging a 3.13 GPA and non-working students averaging a 3.04, there is a significant correlation between the higher GPA and being employed. However, Hess also found that students working full-time (more than 20 hours per week) averaged a significantly lower GPA of 2.95. Many jobs on campus may come with downtime that allows student employees to work on homework or other tasks. While this may not be encouraged by some employers, there are many around campus that allow it. Overall, working part-time can help you improve your GPA, so what are you waiting for? Visit our website www.missouristate.edu/studentemp to apply today!

 

Fill Your Pockets 

While most jobs you will find as a college student probably won’t be able to fully support you financially, they do offer a nice little stream of income that can come in handy. Whether it’s groceries, transportation, or impulse buying online, all college students have personal expenses. Your income from your part-time job as a student can be a great way to support that spending. You could also put your income towards student loans. I don’t want to tell you how to spend your money, but it does come in handy to have a little extra cash in your back pocket. 

 

Working as a college student comes with many benefits, while it will take up time in your schedule, and probably won’t be the most exciting job you have ever had, it does come with many benefits. Time management skills, professional experience, networking, improved grades, and extra cash are our top five reasons why you should get a job as a student, but maybe you have other reasons. Are you already a student employee? What are your reasons for working as a student? Let us know! 

 

Are you a Missouri State student looking to get a job? Click here to view all of the current on and off-campus job listings! https://www.missouristate.edu/studentemp/