With the rising cost of college tuition, it's no surprise that students begin their summer job hunt far before the end of the school year. According to an annual report by the U.S. Department of Education, the average tuition at a four year public university increased 15 percent between 2008 and 2010. But what if you need the class credits almost as much as you need the cash?
The following are some pros and cons of summer school, as well as summer jobs, in order to help you better decide:
The PROS of a Summer Job
Making Money
This is probably the #1 reason why students begin the job hunt to begin with. Sure, you'll have money to spend and enjoy, but working full-time can really help with budgeting your finances from early. It gives you a head start on saving as much money as you can, so that you can cut down on the amount of loans you have to take out.
Taking a Break
School aint easy! It's a lot of work; it's demanding and can be draining. Sometimes you just need a break from the flood of books and an opportunity to assess your current schooling and job prospects, and plan for the coming year.
Gaining Experience
If there's one thing I learned IN college, is that you learn so much more OUTside the classroom. Ask any Professor, they'll tell you that hands-on learning is the best kind of learning. If you're able to land a job that lines up with your interests, then having a summer job will be just as good as studying. You'll be able to learn what you enjoy, apply your skills and gain new ones, and most importantly, return to school with more knowledge and a healthier bank account.
The CONS of a Summer Job
Interrupting Learning
With a summer job you can finally escape those physics formulas you saw all semester and focus on making money, but is that really a good thing? When it comes to retaining knowledge, practice makes perfect. You don't want a summer job to hold you back from remembering key formulas or information that you should already be on top of during the upcoming school year.
Wasting Your Time
Think about it, if you're in Law School and spending your summers as a life guard, not only is that not contributing to what you need to be learning in the slightest, but it adds more time that you'll need to stay in school. Taking summers off is nice, but think of the wages and experience you'll have missed out on while hanging by the pool.
Inconveniences
If you're going to school out-of-state or living away from home, returning home for the summer to get a job can be a hassle. Sure, you have shelter under mom and dad's roof, but let's face it... subletting your apartment, moving all your belongings home, and then having to drive back to school, can occupy most of the summer already!
The PROS of Summer School
Saving time and money
If you're doing a four year degree, in which you are taking eight semesters in total, you can shrink that by one year simply by going to summer school. For tuition, you may not save as much money, but if you are already paying for your dorm or apartment throughout the summer, you might as well live there.
Getting a head start
Summer classes means you'll most likely be finished with school earlier. You'll have more time as a degreed worker in the workforce, commanding a higher wage than if you were as a summer student.
The CONS of Summer School
No Experience
You can do all the studying you want, but in the long run, it really comes down to experience and hands-on knowledge of what you're trying to learn. Even if you're working in the summer at a job that is not related to your field, it still shows an employer that you are responsible for work, and there are always applicable skills that you can apply between jobs.
Taking on more debt
If you're not working full-time, you're not able to replenish the education coffers. This can put you in debt sooner and the sooner you accumulate debt, the sooner it accumulates interest, and the larger your debt becomes. You will need to make sure that the experience and wage you are going to be making with your degree will make up for the increased debt and the decreased experience.
BOTTOM LINE
It's always a tough choice deciding whether to get a summer job or go to summer school, and there are a lot of considerations to be made when thinking about it holistically. Keep all these factors in mind and you'll be surprised to figure out what decision is best for YOU.
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