Why You Should Get A Job During College Freshman Year

For the first month and a half of my freshman year I didn’t have a job. I didn’t want an extra responsibility while still trying to adjust to my new college routine. I thought it would be a lot harder to transition into my schedule than it actually was. Having a job during college is ideal to have some money on hand for expenses.

Newfound free time

In high school we had 6 plus classes, sports, theatre, the newspaper, clubs you name it all while still trying to get homework done and get the best GPA possible to get into the college of our choice. College isn’t like that. You have two classes a day, some days you may have one and if you are lucky you could have none. Usually there is a lot of free time in between or around those class times. For the first month and a half of college, I was crazy overwhelmed by how much free time I had. I am the type of person who needs structure in my life to keep me going, or I’ll have a hard time resisting yet another nap. That was what I was doing for the first month or so. I’d wake up, go to class, then go back to sleep. I was wasting a bunch of time not being productive just because I was bored.

Expenses

Also, I was spending a lot of money I should have been saving for my laundry or groceries. In the fall it was warm out and my friends and I always wanted to go out and explore the city. There is nothing wrong with doing this, actually, I highly encourage it, but without any income I was losing money fast. I’ve never been one to want to rely too hard on my parents, so I looked into on-campus jobs, since at the time I was still seventeen and couldn’t get many jobs outside of Emerson. A job during college can help you create even more independence for yourself.

Finding a job

I did not qualify for work study so my choices were very narrowed on Emerson’s campus until one day I was picking up a package at the mail room and asked if they were hiring. Their desired hours matched mine and within a week I was hired. I got really lucky because they don’t provide work study because it is technically owned by Collegiate Press.

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Perfect fit

Working at the mail room fills time between my classes, keeps me productive, and helps me make some extra money to support my adventures with friends, and to keep up my livelihood. In addition, I have job security for the rest of my time at Emerson. When people aren’t waiting to get their mail I am able to complete homework during my shift, too. It has overall been one of the best decisions I made my fall semester of my freshman year. Incoming freshman: I recommend trying to find a job as soon as possible if you are interested when you get to Emerson. Go to the job fairs during orientation week. Ask around. There is always something. Trust me. It will keep you accountable, motivated, and self-sufficient. Everything a college student should be. If you don’t find something on campus, Emerson is located right in downtown where there is a plethora of stores and restaurants for you to apply to. Don’t give up! Start working on that resume!

Did you get a job during college? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

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