By SATISVELAAN A/L LINGAM & DR AHMAD SAUFFIYAN BIN ABU HASAN
(The picture depicts a student taking up a part-time job to support his personal expenses)
The experience of attending classes at college and seeing instructors in person is just one small part of what most students go through every day in our current society. Many college students have jobs to support their living expenses while attending school in order to relieve some of their financial stress from having to pay for school-related costs, rent, and bills while also making ends meet as a result of their studies. In addition to providing additional financial assistance, working also creates supervisory challenges. Furthermore, the increasing cost of living in Malaysia has forced students into finding a job that could provide them with a means of survival rather than just being merely a convenience.
As most of you may be aware, many students in Malaysia are now facing hardship due to an increase in the cost of living. The main causes of rising prices for students in Malaysia are primarily from the cost of housing, fuel expenses for travelling, the growing cost of food, rising utility costs, and the ever-increasing costs associated with purchasing books and other educational materials. Although in many instances parents are providing financial support for their children who attend college, such support often does not cover all of the aforementioned expenses; therefore, many of these students look for jobs to supplement their income in order to pay for the basic necessities of life. Ultimately, students who receive job-related income are expected to be able to ultimately become independent of their parents by reducing the burden on their families.
There are numerous jobs that students have as they pursue a degree; however, many students hold down jobs within the retail, food, and service industries. These jobs generally provide students with a steady income and are flexible enough to accommodate a student’s class schedule. In addition to traditional part-time opportunities, the expanding digital economy has resulted in a growing number of freelance and other non-traditional work opportunities for students. Freelance work includes creating, designing, tutoring, translating, photographing, and creating online content. The gig economy allows students flexibility over when and where they work, allowing them to better balance their employment responsibilities with their academic responsibilities.
An important advantage of combining schooling with employment is acquiring useful skills. Students working while attending school will build upon their communication, collaboration and teamwork, creative and analytical problem-solving, customer service and other similar skills. Also, students who have part-time jobs will learn how to effectively manage their finances, and develop their self-discipline. Additionally, since students gain work experience while making progress toward completing their degree; they will be able to improve their résumé by having work experience, which many employers prefer, meaning that they will be more likely to be hired after they graduate from college.
While working part-time provides students with many advantages there are also several disadvantages to working part-time as well. One of the primary disadvantages of working part-time is managing one’s time effectively. Students have to multi-task between going to school, doing their homework, studying for mid-terms and finals, and going to work. Therefore, it is very common for students to be tired and not have a lot of time to rest, socialize, or participate in extra-curricular activities. Having too much stress and not enough sleep can negatively impact both a student's physical health and their mental health.
For students to maintain a healthy balance between working part-time and getting good grades it can be extremely difficult for them to do well in their academic and professional careers. Many students who work part-time find they can’t keep up with their coursework and therefore they struggle to concentrate in class. According to another college student who works part-time at a coffee shop close to school “I started working part-time to help cover my everyday expenses, at the beginning I was able to keep up; however, once exams started, that is when my stress level became out of control." This statement is commonplace among other students attempting to balance their financial obligations and their academic obligations.
While it is sometimes challenging for institutions to support their students to achieve both their academic (studies) as well as non-academic (work) goals, institutions can offer assistance to help with financing (scholarships, student loans etc.) and flexibility with studyNow and how long students take to complete their coursework, and lastly by providing students with access to counselling services all contribute to supporting students in balancing both responsibilities.
Over time, the cost of living in Malaysia has increased, and this has resulted in many college/university students taking part-time jobs while attending school; while there are some negative aspects to working part-time and managing two different[ roles], there are also some positive aspects to working part-time, including financial assistance, and the experience gained through working part-time. Therefore, if students use time effectively and obtain sufficient support from their school/institution; they should be able to successfully manage all of their responsibilities, including achieving their academic goals.