A Rant – 30 Ugly Truths
Sometimes you just have to tell the truth. With this in mind, and as a college student paying his way through to get a degree, I’ve come up with several college “truths.” My assertion is that college has become necessary for success in almost all of the work force when it should only be needed for some professions. With the lack of economic prosperity, requiring students to pay mind-boggling amounts of money, to do jobs they already have the knowledge and skills to complete out of high school, does nothing but hurt this country’s economy. So without further adieu, here are 30 truths about college in America.
College is not necessary to be sufficient in a majority of professions (1). People should not have to go to college in order to earn a fair (truly middle-class) wage in this country. If you think about the professions that exist today, so many could be done even if the employee didn’t have a college degree. Did Steve Jobs or Bill Gates need degrees? My own father trains people how to use equipment in a factory, makes a pretty decent wage too, yet never received a college education. I had a wonderful internship this summer doing something that I taught myself how to do (with fancy computers), and I can’t honestly think of much I actually used in the real-world, outside of a few business classes I’d taken. Most my learning this summer took place in the practice, not in a classroom (2). Years ago, college was for doctor’s and lawyers (3), not any person that wanted to get a decent paying job (yes we’ve become a service-based instead of an industrial society, but bear with me here).
Many college classes are just plain boring (4). When I’m scheduling, there’s always bound to be one awful general education class that I have to take. My performance in these types of classes will have no affect on any learning, and will only server to further my progression towards a degree. If I’m working for a corporation, when will I ever have to tell them about how to find f(x)? Yet, I’m forced to take classes I have no interest in, and will not help me at all with my profession, and pay hard earned cash for them. It just doesn’t seem fair when you think of all the financial issues college students must contend with.
Most college students are poor (5). In terms of socio-economic brackets, all college students are probably poor, but even those who have parents with the income to be able to supply their students with money to buy beer still have issues when it comes to money. College can really be a ripoff at times (6). The entire textbook system in college is like a pyramid scheme that has been allowed to flourish (7). If I buy a textbook for $150, I get to use it for a quarter (or semester), and then sell it back for about $15. Hey, that’s 10%, what an awesome deal! Good thing the inflation rate is only around 3%, right? With those outrageous prices, students can also get hit with a class where the professor wrote the book and makes them buy it, but it’s never used in class. This happened to me once, except that the bookstore wouldn’t even buy it back because it was simply a packet with 180 hole-punched pages. A nice “F-U” from the bookstore in conjunction with the Economics department. Why do you think college students are forced to buy cardboard-tasting, bowel-destroying piss-water (8)? Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the money to buy Sam Adams Boston Lager, the best American beer (9). In any case, students get screwed royally even without factoring tuition in (10).
One viewing of college tuition costs proves that it is also too high. Does a college really need to charge more than $40,000 a year? Will a degree from a private university be that much better than mine or anyone else who doesn’t go to a private school to justify it’s worth quadruple the price? Even state-funded schools have been having issues with increasing tuition rates (11). Maybe it’s because the economy is partying like it’s 1929 (12). It’s quite sad how much money some people pay just to go to one specific private school, when they, in all likelihood, will end up getting a job making just as much as the next poor state-school dolt once they graduate. The only difference between most colleges and some of the more “prestigious” universities is how US World and News Report ranks them (13). Which, by the way, is about as flawed as the BCS (14), which is quite fitting, except that Ivy Leagues would win national championships. At least colleges are starting to realize that rankings are biased (15), although the tuition issue is still significant. How can colleges justify having thousands of potentially brilliant students eliminated from any chance of attendance simply because of finances? There was a time I considered attending Kenyon College, and applying to Northwestern University. However, one look at those price tags made my decision for me. Students shouldn’t be limited by finances when it comes to choosing a college.
The fact remains, there are some people who are either too poor to go to college, or not poor enough (16). Affording college is a major pain in the behind for the middle class (not so much for John McCain’s middle class, but who’s counting), yet the government, and the universities themselves assume most families can afford to pay much more than would ever be feasible. Case and point, on no planet would my parents ever be able to afford to give me $40,000 a year in tuition, but the government cites that as the “expected family contribution” for my yearly tuition. After taxes, paying for other sibling’s schools, mortgages, insurance, food, etc, $40,000 would cause my parents to be destitute. However, they make just enough that I’m not eligible for any financial aid scholarships, so I’m stuck thinking of every easy, unique scholarship idea I can.
So as it is, students are stuck being forced to borrow riddikulus amounts of money (17). Then students get credit card debt because of either the cost of textbooks, their own financial irresponsibility, or just for trying to pay for living expenses (18). However, the credit card companies love to get students in debt, because then aforementioned parents have to chip in (19). After all this for four, five, or more years, students graduate and get to start paying off their loans almost immediately, with this lovely thing called interest (20). However, good luck being able to do that if you got an English degree. You’ll be worrying about how many pieces of flair you have on before work, and wondering what you spent $30K a year for when you’ve got to be at Ruby Tuesday’s in an hour. In that situation, you essentially have to go to grad school or risk being the most educated person in the unemployment line (or the sports bar) (21).
Yet, all is not doom and gloom when it comes to college (22). We have our system of educating people, and it’s clearly not going to change anytime soon. The solution is simply this: we should make college free for everyone (23). Take after countries like Belgium, that only require students to pay for their books. Yes, we’ll have higher taxes, but college won’t be something reserved for the wealthy elite, and those with enough gumption to borrow thousands and thousands of dollars on an education. If we want our society to be full of educated professionals (24), wouldn’t it be better to make sure they aren’t broke professionals (25)? In truth, while college isn’t necessary for entry into the professional world (aside from doctors, lawyers, etc), it is a great time to learn more and grow as a functioning member of society (26).
As it stands right now; banks, beer, video games, web sites that promote college hacks, MTVU, the BCS, tuition, STDs, and all the other crazy things one could associate with college will continue to exist. They are all wonderful in their own ways and make college interesting (27), and a real learning experience (28). However, we should take the time to rethink how we’re doing things, and what negative effects this could have on the future of the economy. Students today have a unique place in the world, it’s up to everyone to make sure we don’t mess it up. Because if things remain the way they do, then students will continue to be caught with debt they cannot relieve, and they’ll keep borrowing and borrowing while trying to afford a college that is too expensive to begin with. Considering massive issues like a $700 billion bailout, the condition of Social Security, the housing market, and so many other financial markets, it seems like we’re just creating a bigger problem. We shouldn’t be sending the people who are supposed to be the future of this nation into the world already hampered by debt (29). Forgive the ranting, but I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore (30).
October 02 2008 | College Advice and Financial Advice and Student Jobs | No Comments »
If you’re a college student in need of some extra cash, you should probably get a job while you’re at school. If you are largely responsible for paying for college, then you should definitely get a job in school. There are many different jobs that a student can have. I decided to list, and provide ratings on the eleven best student jobs. I took into account flexibility of schedule, pay, difficulty of work, and long term career benefits. Each benefit was given a grade from A to F. Obviously, A being the best and F being the worst. For example, for flexibility, an A means it’s very flexible. For difficulty of work, an A means it’s very easy (which I think is a good thing). Without further adieu, here are eleven great student jobs you should consider applying for (in no particular order).
1. Campus Tour Guide
Flexibility: C
Pay: C
Difficulty of Work: B
Long Term Career Benefits: B
Have you ever seen those crazy people on campus who are always walking backwards and being followed by anywhere from 12-50 students and parents? Those are the campus tour guides if you didn’t know. If you are really into your university, then I’d highly recommend considering this occupation. Flexibility isn’t the best because you can only work during scheduled tour times. Hours also vary greatly depending on the season (many more students want tours in the spring), which can also hinder flexibility. Pay is minimum wage or a little more. My friend informed me that raises are given after a certain amount of quarters/semesters of service. This may differ from college to college. The work isn’t insanely difficult, but can present some unique challenges. Firstly, you should be interested in your university, because you need to know everything about it and be able to ask the many questions students and parents will have. You will also have to navigate the tour, keep everyone engaged, and deal with any unexpected surprises. Long-term career benefits aren’t that fantastic, but you can greatly improve your public speaking and ability to deal with a variety of questions. Also, leadership is great in the eyes of many employers. Being a tour guide is a great demonstration of strong leadership.
2. Concessions/Stadium Usher
Flexibility: D
Pay: C
Difficulty of Work: B
Long Term Career Benefits: D
If you go to a college with a big time football or basketball program, than working at the stadium or arena can be a dream come true. Being a stadium usher is great because you can just stand there and tell people where their seats are, and you get to watch a free game. Working concessions is great because you get to take in the atmosphere and potentially see the game as well (depending on where the stand is located). Unfortunately, flexibility for this type of work is pretty bad. You can really only work concessions or be an usher when their is a game. In football season, that limits you to working on Saturdays. Basketball season gets slightly better with the occasional weekday night game. The point is though; you are at the mercy of the folks at ESPN, CBS, NBC, ABC, and your athletic conference when it comes to the times you’re going to work. The work can be very difficult, especially when it’s halftime. Usher work isn’t so bad, but working concessions can sometimes be a bit crazy. Long-term career benefits are pretty terrible considering it’s just fast food work. Who knows though, maybe you could somehow meet a star player at a game and become part of his or her entourage? Then your career would be set.
3. Student Librarian
Flexibility: B
Pay: C
Difficulty of Work: A-
Long Term Career Benefits: C
Working in a library can actually be a very fun job. My sister was a librarian at Temple University and enjoyed it very much. Pay and career benefits aren’t so great with being a librarian. Once again, you only get minimum wage (also depends on the campus). As for career benefits, checking books out and putting them back isn’t exactly preparing you for a career as a doctor. However, if you are managing the computer systems, that can be quite beneficial. Not to mention, during downtime you can always read and work on homework, which can help you to do better in school and thereby help your career. The work isn’t terribly difficult, and the scheduling is flexible because of student employees. Hours may also be more manageable, due to the fact that many libraries close early.
4. Office Assistant/Night Watch/Desk Assistant
Flexibility: B+
Pay: C
Difficulty of Work: A+
Long Term Career Benefits: C
Whatever your college or university calls it; it’s the person who sits at that desk in the dorms. Some universities have that person check people in and out of the building. Other universities have that student help with the mail, check equipment out, answer calls, and much more. Flexibility is great because most managers allow students to select what hours they want to work. Students can also work at any hour, because most desks need to be staffed 24 hours a day. Pay is minimum wage. The work is not very difficult at all, considering most of the time, you are just sitting at a desk. If you have other responsibilities like answering the phone or checking people out, then the job isn’t that much more difficult. Any job where people can sit and play on their computers and do homework is pretty easy. Long-term career benefits aren’t that great, given that the job isn’t exactly rocket science. However, all the extra time spent doing homework at the desk when no one is there can significantly help your grades and thereby help your career. My friend said she’d gotten the best grades in her whole college career the year she was an Office Assistant at her dorm.
5. Resident Advisor/Resident Assistant/RA
Flexibility: B
Pay: B
Difficulty of Work: C-
Long Term Career Benefits: A-
I would highly recommend applying to be an RA if you are planning on living on campus and you can stay out of trouble. RAs get a significant amount of perks, and the career benefits are pretty significant. In terms of flexibility, I had a difficult time rating the RA position. On the one hand, your schedule is only rigid when you are on-call or on-duty. Being on call also means that you cannot leave the building. However, I’d like to think that RAs are on call almost all the time because you never know when a student may be experiencing a crisis, or when you may be needed. Part of the job is being able to respond very quickly. Pay is also difficult to gauge because it differs with every university. The benefits such as free room and board amount to a significant amount of cash. Some RAs even get stipends. The work can be very challenging at times, especially when you have to write up people, or deal with a crisis situation. Not to mention, you have to come up with bulletin board ideas, icebreakers, and more. Long-term career benefits are significant because an RA is a leadership position. One of my fellow RAs was hired right away, and all the interviewer kept talking about was how great it was that he was an RA. Having a leadership position amongst your peers is a big plus when companies or organizations are looking at your profile.
6. Research Assistant/Lab Assistant
Flexibility: B
Pay: C
Difficulty of Work: C-
Long Term Career Benefits: A+
This occupation can come in a variety of forms. For the sciences like chemistry and biology, it can be helping a Doctor in the research lab. It can also be helping students in the class lab. For computer sciences, it can be helping with the computer lab and fixing computers or working with students who need extra help. In any case, any occupation where you can work in a lab, or along side a doctor or professor is a great occupation to have in college. Flexibility isn’t the best because lab and research times can be pretty rigid. Pay varies greatly, but mostly hovers around minimum wage. However, some students who are doing very important research can get significantly more pay, as well as other benefits (like a free computer, for example). My one friend was researching Hydrogen Fuel Cells, and he was making more than my dad. The work can be quite difficult. For research, you have to use your mind constantly, and you’re at the mercy of the professor, doctor, or scientist you’re working under. For computer labs, students can need a lot of help, and computers can get pretty messed up, which is very challenging. Long-term career benefits are immense. Doing research in your field of study before you have even graduated will make any person looking to hire you salivate. If you’re going into computers and have experience managing a computer lab, this also looks fantastic. In short, while it may be less pay and more difficult, the career benefits of working in a lab or researching are stunning.
7. Tutor
Flexibility: B+
Pay: B+
Difficulty of Work: C
Long Term Career Benefits: B
Being a tutor in your subject of expertise can be a very nice student job. Flexibility is highly rated because you usually schedule with the student you assign. While this allows you to make changes because of your commitments, keep in mind that the student will also have commitments that you’ll have to adhere to. The pay for this job varies but is always pretty good. Students who work for the university may make less than students who are just offering their tutoring services independently. The work can be surprisingly difficult for many reasons. Many students who are being tutored may decide to not show up, or may cancel frequently. Add in the chance that you may have a student who is either very stupid, or doesn’t care about school at all and is being forced into tutoring by parents, and the job can be quite tiresome. Long-term career benefits vary depending on your career. If you are going into teaching, then tutoring is right up your ally and will look great on your resume. Other benefits include the chance to tutor some athletes and get some autographs.
8. University Shop or Bookstore Worker
Flexibility: B
Pay: B
Difficulty of Work: C+
Long Term Career Benefits: D
If your school has a big time athletic program, than you can find good work in the sports shops on campus helping to sell jerseys, flags, mascot stuffed animals, and any other kind of university apparel. No matter the size of the school, working in the university bookstore is always a great idea. This job can also be great to have just in the beginning of the semester or quarter when a lot of students need books. The flexibility of these occupations is decent. Once again, they are mostly student staffed, so the management understands student commitments. For bookstores, hours can be pretty hectic at the start of each quarter or semester. The pay is minimum wage or a little above with raises available. Other pay benefits include employee discounts on university apparel (which for me would not be a benefit because I’d spend all my money on it). The work can be pretty difficult, especially during busy times. If your team makes a BCS Bowl, prepare for the mad rush of people buying BCS-adorned apparel. Again, if it’s the beginning of new classes, then the bookstore job can be extremely busy, with thousands of students buying and selling books. Long-term career benefits aren’t that significant, but any work experience is great in the eyes of someone looking to hire you.
9. Recreational Facility Worker
Flexibility: B
Pay: C+
Difficulty of Work: A
Long Term Career Benefits: D
One of my friends works at the RPAC (Recreational Physical Activity Center) at Ohio State, and he loves it. The pay is slightly above minimum wage, but it is a very easy job. He told me that he spent three hours just opening doors for people the other day. I found that to be pretty amazing. Long-term career benefits are slim to none, since I doubt opening doors gives you a lot of experience (unless, of course, you’re going to be a professional doorman). The job is very flexible, because students are hired, and so management knows what to expect in terms of schedule conflicts. If your dorm is near a Recreational Facility, you should certainly consider applying for a job there.
10. Student Bus Driver
Flexibility: B
Pay: C+
Difficulty of Work: B
Long Term Career Benefits C+
This job again depends on the size of your college. Many larger colleges have bus routes that run all day. These buses need drivers, and that’s where you’d come in. The flexibility is decent, considering that there are many other student employees in this occupation. However, you have to keep running your route the whole time your working, so breaks may be few and far between. Pay is a little above minimum wage starting, which is good for a college student. The work is of a moderate difficulty. Bus drivers have to go through a significant amount of training before they can start going on the route. Driving a little VW Bug sure isn’t the same as driving a huge bus full of students. Add in the fact that you may have to deal with obnoxious students every now and again, and that’s why this job can be somewhat challenging. However, once you get the routine down and are a master bus driver, it’s not very difficult at all. Long-term career benefits are pretty minimal. However, if you are interested in the truck driving, or bus driving industries, then this job could do wonders for you.
11. Cafeteria Worker
Flexibility: B+
Pay: C
Difficulty of Work: B
Long Term Career Benefits: D
We’ve all heard the jokes about cafeteria food in college. However, working at the cafeteria isn’t that bad of an idea. Flexibility is great because the bosses do understand that they’re scheduling students. Hours tend to vary, but depending on how the cafeteria is run, you may be forced to work only certain hours. If they only serve breakfast lunch and dinner at specific times, that means you may only be able to work at those times. The pay is generally minimum wage with raises given after a certain amount of time being employed. The work isn’t too difficult, but can be quite tiring depending on how busy it is. In terms of long-term career benefits, don’t expect any, unless you plan on being a cafeteria worker in a school.
Of course there are a slew of other great jobs that students can have in college. I mostly tried to consider on-campus occupations. Don’t forget that fast food places, movie theatres, restaurants, and much more would love to have students working there. I’d suggest applying for the jobs I’ve listed here, but don’t ever limit yourself. Remember that benefits and pay can vary significantly from campus to campus. If you are in need of extra cash, or you have to finance your own education, consider these eleven jobs. However, if school’s out, then you need to get a summer job.
June 28 2007 | College Advice and Student Jobs | 2 Comments »
I was recently talking to my sister, and she was saying that she doesn’t want to get a job in college. While she needs the money, she thinks she won’t be able to succeed academically if she has to work. Actually, as it turns out, her university discourages first year students from getting jobs. This got me thinking, should college students get jobs during the school year? If so, how much should they work?
Balancing school and work is definitely a challenge. Depending on if your semesters or quarters, you could be in three to six classes (sometimes more). Depending on the difficulty of classes, and how long they are, that leaves even more time devoted to school. With homework, any extra curricular activities (clubs, organizations, etc.), and basic day-to-day college living, getting a job can seem like it will never work with your schedule. I think that most students have the ability to maintain a job and still succeed in school. Getting campus jobs or jobs where many other college students work is a great idea. These types of jobs will offer flexibility in scheduling and have managers who are more understanding of the other demands on a student.
However, it is also important to consider the fact that grades may affect scholarships. If the tradeoff between having a job and studying is a loss of a scholarship, then it will probably be significantly more economical to not get a job. For the majority of students, I would suggest getting settled into college, and then trying a job. Work can bring in a lot of extra cash that is always useful.
How many hours a week you work is up to you. “Experts” say that anywhere from 15-20 hours a week is very manageable in college. Obviously, it depends on the job you have, but I’d recommend 15 hours a week as well. If you start working more than 25 hours a week (which some people do), you may notice your grades start to slip. Once again, the extra money is great, but if you work too much, those grades will fall, and any scholarships you may have could be in jeopardy. Don’t forget the potential damage you could do to your GPA, which may cause someone to not hire you when you graduate.
Overall, I think it’s a great idea to have a job in college. If you are one of the lucky few who doesn’t need a job, consider getting one just for some extra change and to meet new people. Work experience is always useful. If you are nervous about getting a job, but need the money, you should take it slow. Explain the importance of your grades and limit yourself to only working a certain number of hours a week. If you gradually increase it, you’ll make more money, and you can see how much work is comfortable for you. So, the answer to the question “should I get a job in college” is, “Yes, if you think you can handle it.”
June 26 2007 | Student Jobs | No Comments »