How common is it for college students in the USA to work at the same time?

33 comments

1. Pretty common, part time is the norm.

2. Given the cost of college I’d say pretty common. I know I was in a work-study program where I worked for the school and it was partially subsidized by the government.

3. I worked part time throughout all of college.

4. I worked part time and then two jobs in the summer.

5. [deleted]

6. Very common. Most work part-time, but I’ve known some who worked full-time. I had a friend in college who was a full-time supermarket manager all through college. She took a year off between high school and college, which was why she initially took the job, and she was told she had to maintain 30+ hours in order to keep her job. So she managed to go to school full time and work full time the full 4 years.

   I worked very part-time my sophomore through senior year as a middle school helping out with their after-school program. It was a fun job.

7. Loans and grants only really paid for school, books and housing. Needed a job to pay for beer and such.

8. A lot of universities have job positions that are closed to the general public and only hire students.

   Mine was limited to 19.5 hours per week during academic session. And was very accommodating to shift changes and final exam schedules.

9. I know I did…almost certainly more than 50% of students also work

10. Very common. I worked part-time through undergrad and had an internship all through grad school.

11. I worked part time as an Uber driver when I was in college last. Prior to that back in 2010 I worked as a gas station attendant and did school part time (which never worked out unfortunately).

12. As an undergrad I had a “work study” job through the university, and the money I made for working there was considered part of my financial aid package. I drove a campus taxi about 20 hours per week. The service only ran at night so my hours were generally between 6 pm and 2 am, with one Friday or Saturday night mandatory. It wasn’t too bad, although we were always busy as hell so I never actually did any studying.

    When I was getting my masters degree I was 100% on my own, financially, and was determined not to take out any loans, so I worked two jobs for a total of 60 hours per week most of the time that I was in school. That was much more difficult, but I made it work without going any further into debt so I consider it a win.

13. Common.

    I had a part time job.

14. I worked full time while I went to school part time. Took 3 years to get an AAS another five to get a BS.

15. Very common in my experience. Part time typically.

    Hell, most of my friends had a part time job when we were in high school.

16. I did, part time for a couple of jobs, full time at one

17. It’s pretty common. Most graduate students (like myself) teach a class or get an assistantship which offers support. Usually a monthly stipend and a tuition waiver.

18. I and about 1/2 my friends had to work during college.

19. I worked full-time while in school. Still had rent to pay.

20. I always worked part time during undergrad (and full time when I got a master’s online many years later). I actually have much more free time now than during the much-lauded college years.

21. I worked part-time in college. My son worked part-time in college.

22. Pretty common. You need beer money.

23. Very.

24. Pretty common. I had part-time jobs during the year. During the summer those jobs would either shift to full-time hours, or I got a second job. I was usually taking 1-2 summer classes as well.

    In undergrad my jobs were not affiliated with my university. In grad school they were university jobs.

25. I worked summers, which I think is pretty common. 40+ hours/week, but not overlapping with the academic year.

26. I always did, through 9 years university.

27. Very part time indeed the norm.

28. Part time is very common. Full time is rare unless they’re a non-traditional student, many of whom do advanced degrees not undergraduate

29. Before government got involved in tuition, it was common for students to work their way through college.

30. I think it depends on where you go to school and what your priorities are.

    I went to a school that cost (10 years ago) 150k a year. My dad worked there so I was tuition free (or else I would not be there) but I was the only one of my friends who worked. I only worked 3-4 hrs a day at an after school program. MANY people do TA or work study there though, and many are on scholarship or exchange programs, so working is not uncommon, especially in higher education (Masters and PHD).

    Also, a good number of people work at institutions to pay for their kids college. I don’t think I’ve met one person who worked at my school who applied for something outside free tuition for their kids.

    A few of my high schools friends worked, and if they did many did unpaid internships (a racket if you ask me) but they went to state schools which is notably cheaper than mine. And most of their friends were in their wage bracket. Even so, most of us just lived off loans.

    To give you an idea my dad was in the grounds department, blue collar, but my one friend has no scholarship and graduated dept free. Another was purely on 9/11 scholarships and stuck to what they’d pay for so she didn’t need to work, but her family does have money. I had to work just to afford going to bar and I’m still paying back my loans lol so it really depends on what your priorities are.

31. I think it’s pretty common! I only started working during my 3rd year, and it was a part time job

32. I worked full-time, and went to school part-time, but I went back to school in my 30s.

33. full time work and full time school for me but i was also married with a kid.