what's your opinion?

I dont think good or bad applies, sometimes its an absolute necessity.
There is accomodation to pay for, food, books etc.

I think its unfair as most of their time is taken up studying/working then the only spare time they get is spent earning money.


I knew some guys when I was at college who worked for a shaving foam manufacturer.They spent their days there picking their noses and leaving what they pulled out inside the lids of the foam cans.

It holds a strong argument for people of a certain immaturity to not go into employment.

True. On the other hand, though, people tend to value things more highly when they have to earn them. I had a part-time job my last year in college, and it made me study harder. After all, what was the point of working and paying for my own education if I wasn't going to get the most out of my classes? I wanted every dime's worth.

I'm with Eva.

Education is a personal acquisition and having the student pay part of the cost--or all--of the cost is only fair.

Further, university students not only accumulate information and ways of evaluating information, they should be learning to manage their time and energy.

Finally, the less debt a student has after graduation, the more options that student has.

I've lived both on and off campus. Some of my college years were fully funded (thanks to my Grandparents), but most took place while I worked and supported a family. I might have "fully funded" my youngest son's college education, but chose instead to require him to work between 10 and 20 hours per week. I paid tuition, books, and for living on campus, his earnings were his spending money. When he decided to move off campus (against my advice), I shifted his dorm/food allowance from the college to his personal checking account. He graduated without any apparent ill effects. As you can see, I believe that part-time work is more beneficial than not for at least some college students.

Most college students these days are young, and living away from home for the first time. Part of their education is learning to fend for themselves, to begin taking up the reins of personal responsibility. Academic life has been described as "the Ivory Tower", and the difference between "Townies" and "Gownies" accentuates the artificiality of college life. Working provides a bridge between what is learned in books and the practical realities of life. Young people need to learn how to prosper in the work environment with "unreasonable" bosses and fellow-workers, just as much as they need to learn the fundamental sciences. How to balance a checkbook and live inside a budget will be more useful in life than remembering the exact date that the Black Death arrive in Italy.

Working between 10 and 20 hours per week should not negatively impact an individuals academic studies, unless they are carrying more than a full load of hard science and math courses. For years I worked full time to support a wife, two kids, and a mortgage lending company, and still managed to accumulate multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees, and my GPA never fell below 2.0, and I think most folks would say that I ended up with a better than average education

I agree with the majority. I also worked part-time while in college. Most students can get a part-time job on campus making it easier for them. And these jobs can typically be worked around the class schedule. As others stated it gives a young person invaluable experience that can't be taught in the classroom. Even washing dishes can teach you about arriving to work on time, dealing with a boss, earning your own money and making decisions on how to use that money.

In addition, when graduating it shows something extra to potential employers. As an employer I would prefer to hire a student that had a lower GPA that worked while in school than one who had a higher GPA but didn't work.

Don't forget that a job in a college town is often a great social outlet. I can't count how many girlfriends I had in college that I had met at a part time job.

Of course for my roomate who was a chemistry/pre-med double major, his job at a restuarant takes a huge amount of his free time.

I worked about 30 hours a week sometimes more sometimes less the whole time I was in college. I still had plenty of time for school and partying, though sometimes work did interfere. ah well.