Jenna Crowe

Staff Writer

Being a full-time college student in and of itself is difficult, but it can become an even bigger challenge when juggling multiple jobs or raising a family.

A CNBC news article cited Georgetown researchers who found about 25 percent of working full-time students also had full-time jobs.

“I work multiple jobs mostly for the flexibility,” said Sayler Massey, a sophomore at ISU. “If I need to take a day off it’s very easy too.”

Massey works three different jobs and has four streams of income while attending ISU full-time.

He works with Elwood Staffing, a temp agency that works mainly with the concession stands and as a soccer referee, which he has done for about four years. In addition, he works with Dr. Steve Shropshire in a physics outreach program helping teach physics in elementary schools and he donates plasma bi-weekly.

All of his jobs are part-time and he is able to choose the days he works. However, there are days when that flexibility disappears.

“A lot of times I’ll get overbooked,” Massey said. “I’ve had 20-hour workdays where one job asks me to work, then another job asks me to work, then the other job asks me to work after that.”

According to Massey, the biggest disadvantage of working multiple jobs while in college is the time loss. Students already spend multiple hours a day in classes and devoted to homework, and by taking on multiple jobs more free hours are taken from the day. For students working multiple jobs, Massey recommends becoming skilled in time management.

“I invest a large amount of time being organized and focusing on my priorities,” Massey said. “The easiest way is to find a way to organize your life that works best.”

Some students find it easiest to keep a planner or a to-do list on their phone; however keeping a “mental rolodex” can also be helpful.

While multiple jobs can make free time seem like a foreign concept, the biggest benefit is obvious: extra cash.

One of the reasons why Massey works multiple jobs is so that he can have nice possessions and the freedom to go out with friends while still having money in his savings account – being able to afford such freedoms is why he doesn’t mind working extra jobs.

“Working multiple jobs still allows me to pull the same amount of income as if I was a full-time worker, but if I need a break then I don’t have to go to work.”