As the cost of education continually increases, many students find themselves hard-pressed to make ends meet. While financial aid is often the first and easiest route to take for students to finance their education, some turn to part-time jobs and work study programs in order to pay the bills. But if the goal is both to keep the lights on and attend school, which takes–or should take–precedence over the other? Students from SFCC weighed in with their opinions.
“My academics definitely take priority over my job,” said student Cierra Grove. “Although it’s nice to earn money, my studies are the basis for my future career, so I take my GPA and learning very seriously.”
A great advantage of being in college is the resources provided by the school and the ability to add clubs, internships, and volunteer work to a resume. Through these opportunities, students can very well network their way into better internships and jobs. Although maintaining a GPA can be important for earning and renewing scholarships, it doesn’t typically affect the likelihood of getting a job in a desired field. Most entry level and higher jobs encourage and prefer applicants with experience, meaning a paid internship is much more influential in furthering careers than a 3.8 GPA, and even some part-time work is more valuable.
“My school takes precedence over my work for sure, as I think it should,” said student Darien Haynes. “Money is great, but my future and career is more important. You really have to think about what you’re willing to sacrifice to get where you want to be! The power is yours.”
Without surveying the whole of CCS students, it would be difficult to cover all bases in terms of student diversity, but there are definitely pockets of students who prioritize work. For example, students who have families to raise or support might be taking classes in order to take advantage of career opportunities, but their job is more important as a means to put food on the table for their children.
“School is important for me, but over the past year since COVID-19 happened, I’ve been more focused on work than school because I want to make sure my home life is stable right now,” said student Candice Brennan.
During the pandemic, income has been an issue for people of all ages, across the board, and the consequences of COVID-19 affect people differently at different income levels. People who need to work, not just to afford an education, but to survive, should not be punished or judged because work may divert their attention from their studies. In truth, there is much to be done overall to make sure there are better opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds to attend higher education, and there is no reason a student should have to pull out of college for financial reasons.