School is stressful enough, but trying to work part time can sometimes be too much. Then again, college is expensive, and working even just eight hours for minimum wage can help the slightest. So, how can you decide if you should work throughout the school year or not? Before I took my job at the beginning of the school year, I found myself mentally making a pros and cons list.

The first obvious pro for working is the money. Whether it buys your groceries for the week or lets you do a few loads of laundry, that’s just another $100 that won’t be added to the possible debt of student loans. Additionally, with minimum wage on the rise, fewer hours will still be giving you a decent amount of money.

The next pro of working during the school year is the time management skills it can give you. If you know how to manage your time, getting a job will actually help you out even more. Knowing that you have class in the morning and then work in a few hours will force you to do your homework and not sit around watching Netflix. It can sound counterproductive, but if you have the right mindset, it can actually work in your favor.

Another positive aspect to working is the people you meet. If you’re shy at school, work can really help you flourish and possibly make new friends – I love my work friends.

Even though working during the school year can be a good thing, there are also some obvious cons to it.

The first con would be the time consumption. Working, even if only for a few hours a day or a week, can leave you little time for schoolwork or school-related activities.

The next con would be the stress. Whether it’s from lack of free time or the job is just stressful, it can be overwhelming to have a job. Nobody wants to go to a job that aggravates them and makes them wish they were somewhere else. Get to really know the environment of the job and the company before accepting a job.

Another con of working during the school year is the driving. If you have to drive to your job, you’ll want to make sure that your paycheck will make up for the gas that it’ll cost you to get there and back.

Having a job isn’t easy in the first place, and then placing the stress of school and trying to do well in both areas can be too stressful for some people. Make sure that, if you want to get a job, you look into all aspects of it first. Knowing the pay, how far away it is, and the amount of hours the company is expecting you to work each week can help you decide what is best for you.