Cash Money or Smart Studies: Why Not Both?
By Joshua P. Larson
Editor’s Note: This article was written as the final project for JLMC 201: Introduction for Writing for the Mass Media at Iowa State University. We were required to create a 1000-1100 word article based off of the feature story design modeled notably by the Wall Street Journal. I found several live and online sources and attributed the sources throughout the story. Enjoy!
Every Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m., a blonde woman steps quietly out of her Wilmoth Avenue house and starts her little green 2005 Kia Rio. She cruises south for seven minutes and steers through the lazy streets of Ames before approaching a research facility. Exiting the car, the woman takes a deep breath, shakes off the drowsiness from the night before and prepares to conquer the workday ahead.
As the only female in her department at the Iowa State University Center for Transportation Research and Education (CTRE), she works as a unique individual: performing research involving horizontal curves, sunray tables and road implements are just some of the tasks given to her by her boss. After finishing the daily tasks, the woman logs the hours for her nine-to-five shift and returns home.
While the woman may be known on Tuesdays as just an employee, there is a compelling aspect to her life that may not be evident at first. The woman is Rachael Larkin – a 19-year-old full-time student at Iowa State University (ISU) studying biology and pursuing the pre-med program. Unlike an average employee at a research firm, Larkin studies medicine, the human body and other academics at night.
As a former civil engineering student, Larkin was hired by CTRE after meeting with a professor involved in the organization. Although Larkin has switched her major to biology, she continues to work at CTRE at least 10 hours per week. While attending classes, working at CTRE and doing homework take a large chunk of her time, Larkin keeps her gears grinding by participating in the American Society of Civil Engineers, leading the Concrete Canoe group and being a part of the Engineering Student Council, Society of Industrial Engineers, and Kappa Kappa Psi.
Although Larkin’s scenario may busier than average, hers is similar to the scenario of many ISU students who balance school with student employment. Students find reasons to work ranging from additional money to valuable work experience. According to StudentsAtWork.org, students choose to work because it helps the student become more independent, allows for the student to make new friends and gain new skills, offers the ability to gain career experience and improves the student’s money management habits.
Adam Westrum, a junior in physics at ISU, is also a person who balances study time with employment. Westrum works 11 hours per week in Gilman Hall, on campus, managing material for a chemistry lab. On the weekends, he returns to his hometown and works at HyVee, a grocery store in Webster City. Westrum has held the on-campus job since August of his freshman year, and he plans to continue working there until graduation. “I like it. It’s hard work, but it’s fun,” says Westrum.
While Larkin and Westrum both work for Iowa State University, the status of their jobs differ. Larkin is paid directly by the university, but Westrum is paid through a program called College Work-Study, a federal program designed to offer need-based financial aid to students through work with designated employers. Ann Wessman, the director of the Student Employment Center at ISU, says that federal funds from the College Work-Study program help the employer by acting as a source of funds for a large part of the employee’s payroll.
According to Wessman, the College Work-Study program also comes as a help to students. “[The students] can exclude their work-study earnings in the next year’s FAFSA report,” says Wessman, explaining that student earnings affect the student’s financial need total, which is used to determine the amount of financial aid the person will receive. According to the ISU Financial Aid website, students become work-study eligible by indicating financial need on the FAFSA and submitting it by March 1 every year. Work-study eligible or not, Westrum explains that he gets paid by the university in the same way. “I get paid every two weeks, and it goes right into my bank account,” he explains.
Larkin and Westrum balance their time differently as well. Westrum works several hours during the day, studies for four hours after dinner, and goes to bed around 11:00 p.m. every night. Larkin works longer hours than Westrum but on fewer days. Because she’s always busy leading the concrete canoe team or attending meetings for her fraternity, she only gets about three to four hours of sleep each night, and sometimes she’ll get less. “I pull at least one all-nighter a week,” says Larkin.
But why work? Angela Stoss, a sophomore in chemical engineering, doesn’t have a job during the school year. “Without a job, I can focus on school and my social life, and I don’t have to worry about bringing in money,” says Stoss. Although she spends a couple hours a week tutoring another student, Stoss says that she keeps her working for the summer.
Many students, including Stoss, see jobs primarily as a source for money. Wessman, however, says that through her interaction with students in the employment office, she has seen other benefits. “Students tend to stay in school if they have an on-campus job,” says Wessman. In addition to excellent retention rates, she says that she’s known students to get better grades when they’ve been focused on a job.
Steve Pavlina, an expert on productivity and time management as quoted by the New York Times, recommends that students should make the most of their time in college by adding extra degrees or getting a job on the side. “Don’t feel you have to go at a snail’s pace just because everyone else does,” says Pavlina on his website.
Regardless of what the experts suggest, Larkin and Stoss have their own views on having a job while at school. “Get a job,” says Larkin. “You’ll have a harder time transitioning after college if you don’t practice budgeting your time.” According to Stoss, that’s not necessarily the case. “I think everybody should have a job sometime, but not necessarily during the school year,” she explains.
Student employment or the lack thereof affects every single person on campus. Every night, when it comes down to studying for biology, physics, mathematics or music, students are balancing and budgeting their time with social lives, food and, of course, jobs. On top of all the other complicated choices people are forced to make during their time in college, they must decide whether or not to juggle work with school. After thinking about academics and financial needs, according to Westrum, “It’s best to choose what’s best for you.”