In contemporary academic settings, there were increasing percentages of students who have opted to work part-time. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “in 2010, about 40 percent of full-time and 73 percent of part-time college students ages 16 to 24 were employed” (par. 1). A number of studies have been delved into to determine any evident link between students’ academic performance resulting from working part-time. Some studies assert that working more than 20 hours per week would be grossly detrimental to the academic performance of students . However, most have confirmed that the benefits far exceed any costs associated with part-time work (UC San Diego; . The current discourse aims to assert that students should work part-time due to the benefits for their personal and professional growth provided that they could balance academic, family, personal and work effectively.
There are benefits noted from part-time work as delved into by students, including: (1) exhibiting persistance and determination to complete academic programs ; (2) contributory to generating higher GPA (BYU Employment Services; Dundes and Marx); (3) enabled students to be more efficient ; and (4) increases the chances of students obtaining a degree or finishing college, as scheduled . These studies have determined that part-time employment has provided students with greater opportunities for improving the needed skills that would assist in their roles as students; as well as in preparing them for future employment. For instance, students are able to develop time-management skills, interpersonal relationship skills, communication skills, customer-service skills, teambuilding skills,and other cognitive and socio-emotional skills that make them more competent and qualified to address different challenges that they encounter either through their academic lives or through their roles as part-time workers.
On the contrary, those contending that students should devote their full attention on academic students indicate that working part-time contributes to the following: (1) exposure to greater stress; (2) working more hours could potentially delay obtaining a degree or graduating on time ; and (3) greater hours spent on the job apparently hampers academic performance . For part-time jobs to pose significant threats in terms of putting a strain on academic performance, it was noted that these jobs should have partaken more than 20 hours per week of the students’ time . Likewise, if there are greater amounts of time spent to comply with work-related responsibilities, it would leave students with limited time frame to comply with academic requirements; thereby, contributing to greater stress and lower academic performance. In addition, if more time is spent working, students could have greater tendencies to get limited numbers of units in school which delay their obtaining the degree or graduating in the regular time frame.
Overall, the secret of being able to maximize the benefits of working part time and not hampering academic performance is maintaining a stipulated number of hours that should not exceed 20 hours per week . As specifically indicated, the 15 to 20 hours per week work load is most convenient for students opting to work part-time. As various studies have supported, students working part-time are able to exhibit higher GPAs, develop skills that make them more efficient, and enable them to complete the programs that they are pursuing with greater ease, determination, persistance, and commitment.
Works Cited
Astin, A.w. Preventing Students From Dropping Out. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1975.
BYU Employment Services. "Effects of Employment on Student Academic Success." December 2006. byu.edu. 1 March 2013
Dundes, L. and J. Marx. "Balancing Work and Academics in College: Why do Students Working 10-19 Hours Per Week Excel?" Journal of College Student Retention (2006): Vol. 8, No. 1, 107-120.
NCES. "College Student Employment." 2012. nces.ed.gov. 1 March 2013
UC San Diego. "Benefits of Student Employment." 2013. students.ucsd.edu. 1 March 2013
