College is supposed to be the time of our lives, where we make lasting memories and focus on our futures while living stress free.
But that isn’t the case and the main reason is money. A college kid trying to get their hands on some cash is equivalent to Charlie Brown trying to kick that football, it just never happens.
From buying books, gas money, food and paying bills each month we have already realized that being an adult sucks.No matter how much we work in between classes once we see a paycheck it seems to magically fly away.
Oh yeah don’t forget about the thousands of dollars in loans you have to pay back.
Getting out loans for college is the first financial decision that most of us have made in our lives, and we are making it at 18-years-olds. What in the world does a recent high school graduate know about interest rates? Or what the difference is between a subsidized and unsubsidized loan.
When you first get to school people try to explain it all to you but in your head your just think “my parents will deal with this” or “I don’t have to worry about this until after graduation.” If only it was all that simple.
At this point many of us are at different points of our independence with money.
Some of us fill out our FASFAs before each year and pay bills each month, while others still get a weekly allowance from their parents. Regardless of how much control someone has over their money we are all still in a learning state while in college.
Personally I have already racked up thousands of dollars in student loan debt and I work three jobs while at school. But I feel like this has been an opportunity to grow up.
Having to pay bills every month and being dependent on a paycheck really helps to teach responsibility. Working while in school also teaches us that one thing that everyone is always talking about, time management. Balancing work and school work is something that will be useful to know long after graduation.
Knowing that we are all going to have to deal with money for the rest of our lives makes now seemslike a good time to start learning.
But learning through mistakes can be very detrimental to our financial stability long after graduation.
College leaves students drowning in a sea of debt while other may breeze through without loans. Working in college can help build character and organizational skills.
