Balancing your studies with having a part time job might seem quite a daunting task. But it is one that is definitely worth doing. This article will look at some of the direct and indirect benefits of having a part time job and how this can help prepare you for your future and at University. There are a range of ways you could do part time work, including a set number of hours per week, seasonal work (i.e. over Christmas or the summer holidays) and doing work on an ‘as needed’ basis.
Skills you’ll develop
Working part time will give you so many skills! For starters, your communication skills, problem solving, team working and time management skills are likely to be well utilised. As you are likely to be working with people outside of your friendship group and quite possibly the public, your confidence should get a boost too! Depending on what your part time job is, you will also develop some specific skills or knowledge which may well be useful outside of work. For instance, if you work in a kitchen you will be far more aware of food hygiene, which will be very useful if you leave home to do your degree!
Not only will all these skills make you more employable in the future, but they will make you more effective as a student too. Having a more mundane or dull part time job may also give you some additional motivation to make sure you achieve better grades to improve your prospects.
Would you like to see what your skills are now? Taking this skills audit will give you a chance to see how a part time job could improve a whole range of skills! https://careersmart.org.uk/tools/career-test-skills-audit
Understanding how the world of work operates
Having been in the education system for years now, you know what expected of you. Getting some experience of working will help you understand what’s expected of you at work. Learning how to work with people who aren’t in your friendship circle or how to deal with demanding customers will give you a sense of achievement and a confidence in knowing that you can deal with different, unexpected situations. As a careers adviser, I have often talked to students who talk about how their part time job has given them confidence or a sense of assuredness as they start to work with clients or on work projects for their degree course.
Supporting your applications for ucas and apprenticeships
Regardless of what university course you apply for or which apprenticeship you go for, having had a part time job will give you some many skills and examples of how you have demonstrated them. For some more vocational university courses, having work experience may be essential and really support your application by demonstrating that you have a better understanding of what the industry is about. This can relate to anything from agriculture to teaching, social work and medicine. So, if you’re thinking about choosing a university course, getting some experience could be a great way to check out whether that uni option is a good one for you.
Money!
Having some extra cash now could be quite useful too! What would you want to spend it on? What opportunities could it give you whilst you are studying to make life in 6th form or college more interesting? Got a hobby or interest that you could spend money on? Or do you want to save up for university and your chosen degree?
There will be another blog soon, which will look more at the practicalities of finding part time work. And if you’d like to find out more about the benefits of working part time, this article is a good one https://www.careeraddict.com/5-benefits-for-students-who-work-part-time-jobs
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