Student Jobs to Pay for College

Many students work their way through college. Whether they are working a part time on campus job, have a part time off campus job, or work 40 hours a week while going to school, they need the income they derive from working to help defray the college expenses.

Traditionally, students have worked in the school’s cafeteria or library to help pay for their living expenses. Usually this is through the school’s work study program. Work study is a federally funded program that is part of a student’s total financial aid package. The federal government provides most of the money for these jobs. That’s why the colleges are more likely to hire a student who has work study money than a student who doesn’t. The fed, is in fact, picking up most of the tab.

Most work study jobs pay slightly more than minimum wage. Students are not permitted to work more than 20 hours a week, and some colleges have an even lower cap. At Washington and Lee College, freshmen are not permitted to work more than 5 hours a week with work study aid. The college makes up the difference in the form of grants.

Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to take work study jobs, even if they are part of a financial aid package. That’s because off campus jobs pay more and don’t have the maximum hour restrictions. For instance, a call center job may pay $11 an hour for 25 hours a week while the on campus job calling alumni for donations pays $9 for 15 hours.

Also, a few off campus jobs actually have tuition remission programs for their employees. For instance, students who work for the Geek Squad and are majoring in computer, science, or engineering related fields can get up to $2500 in tuition paid for by the company in addition to earning a good salary. That money can cover half or more of the tuition at a state school.

But, some students are not lucky enough to be able to afford to work part time when going to school. Because of their family responsibilities and financial obligations, they must work 40 hours a week at a traditional job. Many of these students attend college through flexible programs that meet at night or on the weekends. They may also attend only part time taking 6 or more years to get through a bachelor’s degree program.

Students working full time should consult their company’s human resource department to see whether the business has a program to help student employees. Many companies have tuition remission programs for students.

There are also grants and scholarships for people who have to work full time. This may allow some to cut back on their work hours.

So whether you work 5 hours a week or 40 plus, the challenges of working, doing well in school, and having a healthy life are many. But, the income from work makes the option of school a reality for many.

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