How much do you work on top of school

heather.f · May 13, 2011

well, i don't work... outside of home - but I have 4 kids under 8, so that is work. Maybe a weekend gig?

Rakkika · May 13, 2011

I wouldn't mind working weekends too much if I really have to, it's just finding a job that will allow those hours. I have no work experience so I'm pretty much destined for fast food.

The most frustrating thing is that I feel like I shouldn't have to work right now! I give my mother 30% of my financial aid check for rent and then she nickles and dimes me out of whatever I try to save :mad:

Piper17 · May 13, 2011

I wish I didn't have to work during school. I work around 25 hours during school, and it stinks. I don't get home until 11pm 4 -5 nights a week, and then lose sleep because I have to study and read late. I don't have to do any housework though, my boyfriend and I live together and he does all the cooking and cleaning because he is done with school (thank goodness). Honestly, I wouldn't try it if I were you. Maybe just a couple shifts a week, but you don't want anything too serious. It's so stressful when you have a huge test and you can't even start studying when all of your other classmates are going to bed. If you can't do it financially, maybe just take out loans for living costs. If you don't need the extra money, you need to talk to your mom and tell her how hard nursing school is!! You'll be making good money in a couple years when you are done, she needs to be patient! haha.

leenak · May 13, 2011

Can you work at school? When I was in undergrad full time, I worked 20 hours per week at the school. During school breaks, I'd increase that to 40 hours per week.

Right now, I work 40 to 50 hours per week and go to school part time.

snow_bear · May 13, 2011

I work approximately 50 hours a week between two jobs. Right now, I’m taking pre-reqs on a part-time basis, but will have a course load of 14 credits in the fall. If I’m accepted into a nursing program, I hope to work as a nurse’s aide, but I will still have to work full-time.

When I was in college the first time around, I worked 50-60 hours a week while taking 12-15 credits per semester. I left my house by 7:00 a.m. and didn’t get home until 11:00 p.m. I waitressed from 5 p.m. – 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. I have a cumulative GPA of 3.89.

You do what you gotta do. Structure your time so that you can keep up with your assignments. You will definitely have to cut back on your social life, but it’s a short-term sacrifice. I’m not saying you should work full-time if you can help it, but 20-25 hours should certainly be manageable.

soxgirl2008 · May 13, 2011

If you can't do it financially, maybe just take out loans for living costs. If you don't need the extra money, you need to talk to your mom and tell her how hard nursing school is!! You'll be making good money in a couple years when you are done, she needs to be patient! haha.

I personally think taking out loans just to live off of is a very very bad idea unless it's a last resort...Those loans in most cases accumulate interest, and you have no idea how the job market is going to be in a couple years or how long it will take to find a job or how much money you will be making. Nursing is decent money, but you're not going to be making 100K plus a year especially as a new grad, and depending how much in loans you take out it can be very hard to keep up. If you ever need to declare bankruptcy school loans are the one loan you can't erase, you're stuck with them. People need to really think hard before taking out loans just to live on.

I work 20 hours a week during the school year and more in the summer. I know girls who work 20 hours a week, are in nursing school fulltime and still manage to get straight As. It's not easy but it can be done. A lot of people I know who work usually only work on the weekends. It takes a lot of good time management skills though to be able to balance school and work. You have to be willing to study a little everyday so you're not cramming for tests at the last minute

future rn in kankake · May 14, 2011

I am a cna and work flexi. You get more money 13 an hour and can pick shifts you want at nursing home. Only work the hours a want.

strawberryluv, BSN, RN · May 14, 2011

I think you should talk about it to your mom. Let her understand that for every one hour of class time you need to study/prepare atleast 2-3 hours a week for the class. If you are taking a heavy load you can make that argument.

If you don't think you can handle a part-time job on top of class, tell her that. Tell her that even though some people can pull working during the school year off, it will be harder for you and you don't want to jeopardize your grades for a few extra bucks.

I told this to my mom and she totally understands because she actually knows how much I study for any one class that I take and the results show with good grades.

Also, consider showing your mother a statistics or some fact by a reliable source that show that working during school year might discourage good grades. Maybe, if she sees a possible correlation she might attest to you not working during school.

Piper17 · May 14, 2011

Yes, of course loans should be your last option. The point is, don't sacrifice your grades for working during school. Yes, some people can work and get all As, but not everyone and don't feel bad if you aren't one of those people. Right now, I am working and going to school, but I still have two years of my BSN left so I'm not sure how possible it will be for me down the road to work and still get all As. If you don't absolutely HAVE to work to survive, then I wouldn't. In my handbook for school, the program warns that we should not work at all or work the minimum hours that we possibly can because the faculty knows that nursing school is a full time job. Good luck and I hope your mom understands! :specs:

flysbyemerald08 · May 14, 2011

grades mean everything and what a jngo91 mentioned about devoting 2-3 hours per credit hour is absolutely right on the nail! i earned my a's by working my tail off in class and know that if i had to work my grades would have slipped. there were just too many times i could have left my homework and went out with friends to have a good time! the thing is i'd like to leave with competitive grades in my as degree in pre-health before i transfer to a bsn program. pre-nursing classes require a lot of reading and a casual read is not going to suffice. family members will not know how difficult your road is unless they've been on it. my family seriously thinks i have $$$ all the time and wonders why i am always studying. it's just very difficult to explain that my $$$ comes from carefully spending my financial aid (which isn't a whole lot) and that i'm always studying because i'm in the hard sciences and not going to school to learn "color by numbers."

keep those study hour requirements in mind and have that talk with your mom. show her your homework and let her decide if she thinks a casual read will get you an a.

JenWork · May 15, 2011

I go to school part- time and work 30 hrs a week. It is very manageable if you have good time management! Try your local grocery store because they offer great flexibility or a restaurant!