Some young people get part-time jobs during high school; some are too busy with sports and other activities to hold down a job; others are simply uninterested in working if they don’t have to. Those who have not held a job before beginning their post-secondary education are missing out in three very important ways.
Post-secondary education is expensive
A post-secondary education is an excellent investment that’s almost always worth going into debt for. That said, the cost of most post-secondary programs has increased exponentially in recent decades, and most students will have difficulty accessing enough loans, scholarships and grants to cover all their expenses.
Saving for your future education while still in high school – no matter how little you’re able to add to the pot – gets the ball rolling. Even a part-time, minimum-wage summer job will add to your financial self-sufficiency later on. Every penny counts! And the more you’re able to earn before starting post-secondary, the less likely you are to face financial worries when school requires much more of your time and attention.
In addition, many applications for grants available to students facing financial hardship will look more positively upon students who have made efforts to earn their own way.
Importantly, earning as much as possible before and during your post-secondary years will reduce the amount of loan money you will have to pay back after graduation. It’s not fun to begin your career deeply in debt.
Learning how to make money, budget for living expenses and pay taxes is an important life skill
Many students begin their post-secondary experience with next to nothing, and they are unsure how to make enough money to survive the year. Anxiety is common when a lack of funds is coupled with a lack experience in getting a job or prioritizing spending needs, and this may lead to poor physical heath and minimal success in school.
Other students are suddenly flush with cash when their student loans or grant money arrives, but they aren’t prudent enough to make it last through the semester. Those who have had little personal experience in making and saving money sometimes blow all their funds before Reading Week. A good understanding of how to keep track of spending, think ahead and budget for future expenses is particularly important for post-secondary students who are newly gaining control of their own finances.
The experience of making, saving and wisely spending one’s own money is an excellent education in itself. Establishing good money management skills before entering a much more independent stage of life is a proactive strategy.
Building a strong résumé looks good to future employers
When you’ve graduated from post-secondary and you’re looking for your first “real” job, the part-time and summer jobs you’ve had in the past show that you’ve already got experience in the work world. This indicates that you know how to be an employee, to take direction and to work with others. Your résumé is a tool you’ll use to show all the skills and learning you’ve done that were not strictly gained through your formal education.
In addition to any technical skills you may have acquired from this work (for example, using technology or machinery, mathematics or painting techniques), the work experience on your résumé may also show that you have used certain “soft” skills (such as communication, initiative, reliability, problem-solving or leadership). These are examples of transferable skills that are highly regarded in many, many workplaces and will be of benefit in any job. Employers will want to know what skills you have, and the jobs listed on your résumé will describe when and where you’ve used them.
Your résumé tells a future employer important information about how you’ve viewed work and learned from your work experiences in the past. The more work experience you’ve got upon graduation from post-secondary – no matter what kind of work – the better the impression you’ll make at the beginning of your career.