While some seem content with focusing on schoolwork, hanging with friends and having personal free time, others find it necessary to seek employment. Some students choose one of the many jobs Elizabethtown College offers on campus, while others choose a different path, such as working for an off-campus employer.
Why would a student select an off-campus job over an on-campus position? Perhaps the student is in need of longer hours. Etown enforces a 20-hour work limit for students working on campus. Working at an off-campus job gets the student around the limit set by the College. Another reason for working off campus may simply be that the student wants to escape the environment he or she lives in every day.
Interviewing students with jobs on or off campus evidenced different opinions on their choice of job selection. Choosing a job and deciding what is best for each individual completely depends on the type of person he or she is. Neither way is right or wrong. Students will simply choose the path that appears correct for them.
A few Etown students answered if the pros and cons of working were worthwhile. Did they find it hard to balance employment with schoolwork and campus life? How do they handle conflicts with other on-campus events and activities? Their opinions were solicited on the 20-hours-a-week work limit set for students with on-campus jobs.
For instance, first-year Gina Gudzelak works at Acme Markets in Newark, Del. Her job does not require her to work every day, or even every weekend. “Working takes away one weekend a month, so my job doesn’t interfere with studying, activities or school events. To be honest, I feel it’s better to work on campus, or try to, unless you need to make a lot of money,” Gudzelak said. Gudzelak explained she likes her job, and the increased pay makes it worth the monthly trip. She claims working more than once a month would hinder her ability to balance her campus life with her economic needs. Her decision to work off campus was based on what she believed was best.
Senior Nick Riccio works on campus at the Jay’s Nest. “Work can be difficult at times,” Riccio said. “It can interfere with classes and practices I have with Phalanx and Vocalign, the on-campus a cappella groups. Sometimes, work even gets in the way of out-of-classroom course requirements. The [20-hours-a-week] limit does bother me because I really need to make money to pay my bills, and it’s hard to do so with the limited hours. However, I do not want an off-campus job.” Last year, Riccio tried to manage an on-campus job with an off-campus job, as well as classes and extra activities. “It was even worse to manage. Plus, I barely made extra money but had so much more stress.”
Josiah Buxton, also a senior, had a completely different opinion than Riccio when it came to his experience with juggling on- and off-campus jobs. Buxton works at Kellogg’s Corporation in Lancaster from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Buxton is balancing work while taking 17 credits. He said, “Not going to lie, it can be pretty tough.” When asked if his work interferes with other events and activities on campus, he said, “No, work is so early in the morning, which is nice, but the bad part about it is I have to wake up early.” Working six hours a week on campus plus 10 hours a week off campus, Buxton does not even reach the 20-hour-a-week work limit that Etown imposes upon students working on campus. “I can’t even imagine hitting that limit because I would not get my school work done within the allotted time slots. However, I think it’s worth working off campus.”
First-year athlete Kirstin Blass maintains an on-campus position with the Athletics Department. She finds work manageable by keeping her schedule less than 10 hours per week. “It does interfere with on-campus activities and events, but Coach is lenient.” Blass likes the experience of working on campus. “On-campus work is great because I don’t have to drive
somewhere,” she said.
Clearly, all four students: Gudzelak, Riccio, Buxton and Blass, have found a way to balance schoolwork, employment and campus life. Three of the students have attempted to work off campus, while only two continue to do so. Two have made the choice to work exclusively on campus. Only Buxton with his 17 credits continues employment on and off campus. It appears that the decision to work either on or off campus is based upon personal preference. None of the students interviewed on or off campus reached the 20-hour work limit imposed on Etown student employees for on-campus work. All of the students were able to find a balance between working, schoolwork and campus life.
It is impossible to say whether off-campus jobs are better than on-campus jobs. Clearly some students can balance schoolwork and campus life with jobs. If you choose to work and attend Etown, there is very little difference between maintaining an on- or off-campus job. Either way, the students are all facing the same experience: balancing work, school and extracurricular activities.
