In between classes, writing papers, studying for exams and the occasional intramural volleyball game or workout, how are students supposed to find the time to earn money? Take some tips from a few students who have learned how to balance all that college has to offer with jobs in the real world.
Senior Matt Grindle, for example, works so that he can maintain a stable lifestyle.
“I work so I can afford to pay for my bills, rent, cable, my social life and my spring break,” Grindle said.
Grindle currently works as an event promoter and a waiter at Side Street in Hamden.
Jamie Adomunes, also a senior and one of Grindle’s co-workers, has different intentions.
“My purpose is most definitely, hands down, keeping myself busy,” she said.
Having a job helps keep students on track with schoolwork and to maintain a structured lifestyle. Adomunes said that staying on top of school work is always more important than her job. “I never let work come in between my schoolwork,” Adomunes said. “I am here in Connecticut for one reason and that is school, which is my first priority.”
Adomunes doesn’t just work one job, however. She works three. Adomunes is a college representative for J. Crew Merchandising, a waitress at Side Street and a bartender at Andale in Hamden.
Sophomore Delia Helie also thinks that holding a job keeps her on schedule. “It keeps me in a regular routine and as a director of the program I work for, I have extra responsibilities, but overall it gives me great time management skills,” Helie said.
Helie works for the Hamden/North Haven YMCA as director of the Helen Street After School Program.
According to these busy students, the benefits to having a job are plentiful. “The best part about working off campus is more about the place where I work,” Grindle said. “It’s fun and you meet a lot of people. On the weekends you get to be entertained with live bands and funny comics and you never have to pay a cover charge.”
Adomunes’ favorite part of working is the break you get from the stresses of school work. “It gives you a break from school and allows you to feel like you are accomplishing something else rather than just school work,” she said. “It also forces me to keep a good solid schedule when it comes to completing my school work.”
Helie added that working off campus while living in a dorm is an especially great experience.
“I have gotten to know some people within the community, not just the Quinnipiac community,” Helie said. “Hamden is much more diverse than Quinnipiac so it is great to meet both children and people my age from the local area.”
Another obvious benefit is the paycheck. When the weekend rolls around, these students say they have fuller wallets and more money to spend than their unemployed friends and classmates.
According to Helie, the only downfall to having a job off campus is transportation. She said that getting to and from work is especially difficult because of the shuttle service.
“I park my car in Whitney Lot and since the shuttles are unreliable, I have to leave 45 minutes early for work and I usually have to wait up to 30 minutes for the shuttle back to campus,” she said.
