I’m going to be brutally honest with you, when I first had to adapt to living on a budget, the phrase “Mum, I’m skint” became the new “Mum, I’m hungry”. Since becoming blacklisted and ultimately cut-off by the “Bank of Mum & Dad” following my departure from the family home, it became apparent that I was going to have to find a way of topping up my student loan, if I was to continue having loads of fun. Nothing to do with the fact that Fresher’s Week saw me spend the same amount of my loan as the average Kardashian spends on silicone per year.
Even though I wasn’t being completely ridiculous with my loan (apart from the odd one or two nights out) I did find it a struggle with the fact that I no longer had a monthly income to serve as my ‘fun money.’ After giving up my part time retail job, I started to miss working life, and soon got myself another part time position.
Looking back on this brief time of unemployment, I now realise the benefits that working a part-time job can bring to students. I’ve broken down and explained the three main ways that working part time has helped me so far at university.
You Break from your usual Social Circles
While being a student sees you become friends with people from all walks of life, the chances are that the vast majority of them will be around your age. It can be very refreshing for you to become acquainted with people who are of a different generation. Not only will this expand your social circle with a variety of people, but it may also give you opportunity for social events in the future.
You can get a job to complement your degree
I can’t lie, I was one of the few who loved my job in retail. I really did meet some amazing people. However, as far as career prospects go, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever, and often felt I didn’t always give it 110%, knowing this wasn’t where I wanted to progress.
Since becoming employed at Salford however, that has changed. I have two part time jobs. The first is working with the University doing…well, this. It allows me to practice networking, researching and article writing, skills which are imperative to succeeding while studying Broadcast Journalism.
The second job is also very relevant to my degree. On my weekends, I am a children’s presenter, hosting fun science events for children aged 5-17. This is not only a marvelously enjoyable job to have, it also allows me to practice my presenting skills and public speaking.
I am still a little in shock that I have the ability to work in two completely different roles, both offering such complementing experiences for my degree.
Money!
Like I said before, working gives me ‘fun money.’ This has to be on the list. Working part-time while studying means that I have the luxury of doing the things I want to (in moderation.) If I want to eat out a night of the week, or possibly end up on a dance floor, then it isn’t the end of the world. It gives me a little bit of freedom with what I can buy and do.
This for me is quite important, it meant that I was able to do things like take Mum out for Mother’s Day, and and start eating out occasionally (my absolute fave). While I’m not at the stage where I could put a deposit down on a Lamborghini, it’s nice to know that I have a little bit of extra money each month to play with.
Please note the above represents the views of an individual student and does not constitute official advice from the University of Salford. Other products and services are available.
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