Working while studying

peanuthead

Hi all

I've a thread similar in Leaving Cert but I was hoping I would be allowed to keep one open here too as I expect the difference in audience will reap a difference in opinion.

I'm wondering about the pitfalls of working while studying.

I'm sure there are many benefits that come along with having a part time job while studying, but I feel that there are also many negatives and at a time where money is so scarce - students could be fear mongered into abandoning their studies early to hold onto their part time jobs.


I'm looking for any negatives that spring to mind, specifically in relation to health/stress as I'm looking to do a presentation that fits in with our mental health awareness session.

Hope we can bang our heads together and come up with a nice strong argument.


Firstly, I've got the point that some students are under immense pressure in school to do well. This pressure is put on them by teachers, parents and themselves, but at least it is all directed towards the same goal, with common interest. Add to the mix a boss who couldn't care less whether you stay in college/school or go and there is a conflict which creates a less healthy form of stress??

rainbowtrout

I think it depends. You have students who take on a part time job in the local supermarket or wherever and treat it exactly as that - work one day a week on a Saturday to earn a little extra pocket money for clothes, phone credit, whatever and if they weren't doing it they would possibly be hanging around doing nothing anyway. That's not to say students shouldn't have any free time, but the work in itself is a break away from the books. Some students do this and still get an excellent Leaving Cert and work all the way through college as well as they need money for college and still get good results.

Other students take on a part time job and it develops into a couple of days after school from 4-8 or 9, all day Saturday and Sunday or some such variation, where not only do they have no free time, but they don't have any time to study or are too tired when they do get off work. That coupled with the money they are earning keeps them working because they get used to the money.

Just from personal experience of students in this situation I find it tends to affect the average to weaker student more. There aren't as many jobs around now, but I had plenty of run ins with students, mainly girls who would argue if they were asked to stay behind for a minute or two after last class because they were due to start their shift at 4 (school finishes at 4) in the local supermarket and they would be in trouble if they were late. Work definitely took priority over school.

Those students did prioritise work over school and their grades suffered. Many of them didn't go on to third level or if they did manage to get into third level or do a PLC course, the same pattern continued and I would see poor attendance in our PLC course from them or heard quite often that they had dropped out of college.

Many of the girls working in my local supermarket have been working there on a part time basis since they were 15 or 16. Many of them had the ability to go to third level and get a qualification and better job prospects but ultimately the part time job held them back.

golden virginia

If students need to work then its for a reason to support themselves and their family. its no different to teachers working while they study.

I did my leaving cert at 16, i had a part time job because I needed to pay for books, application to college, clothes, contribute to the food bill at home and so on. I did the same in college.

When I got work as as teacher, I was working while studying in college, - I still am.

Ideally I would prefer not to have to work, but I am still waiting for a rich patron here - any takers?

peanuthead

Golden virginia - I totally understand what you are saying I was the exact same myself and I agree with you too rainbowtrout that it does tend to affect teh average to weaker student more.

I would have fallen above that category and I feel I had the drive (or sense??) to realise that the part time job should be just that.

Some of my siblings, who wouldn't have performed as well in school, stayed on to do Leaving Certificate but didn't make it a priority at all and didn't do very well as a result.