Advice for fulltime student parttime tech

AnonymouseAnonymouse Member Posts: 509 ■■■■□□□□□□
Here's the deal: I take full-time classes from 8am to 2pm Mondays and Wednesdays while Tuesday and Thursdays I have class from 8am to 12pm. I'm working as a part-time tier 2 helpdesk tech part-time Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. My hourly pay is pretty good but I figure in my off time during Monday and Wednesday I should get another job.

What would you guys suggest? Since I'm already getting my IT experience at my helpdesk job should I just find any random job to give me a few extra bucks? On the other end do you think I should find something that has to do with IT to work?

If you picked the latter then do you have any ideas on what kind of IT jobs let someone work in the afternoon only two days a week?

Comments

  • Main EventMain Event Member Posts: 124
    Stay at that I.T job since your getting experience.

    Also, if you need the extra money, take something part time but don't tire yourself out since you need to hold on to the helpdesk job for experience and good references.
  • bighuskerbighusker Member Posts: 147
    First and foremost, focus on school above any jobs you have. If you do need to get another job, check and see if your school has any "work study" positions. They are usually not the greatest paying jobs, but in general, they are very flexible with scheduling and they are usually pretty cushy. You may even be able to get an "IT-related" job such as a computer lab assistant or something. My school had a decent number of positions like that.
  • HeroPsychoHeroPsycho Inactive Imported Users Posts: 1,940
    I'd take that extra time, provided you're doing the best you can at school already, and study for certifications and doing independent side work.

    For the certifications, set a realistic goal for what you could achieve with independent study. Also, whenever possible, try to seek side work that might help you learn whatever it is you're trying to get certified in.

    I agree with all the above - do not let your quality of work at your job or school decline. Fashion the free time to be flexible and "expendable". For example, you could easily reallocate that time to study for school exams when they come, or whatever might come up for your higher priorities.

    The other thing you could do is get involved in activities that help you business network to prepare for when you get out of college. For example, if you're studying to be a linux admin, join a local linux user's group, that kind of thing.

    One last thing I would urge you to consider - if you're paying the bills right now, even if it's through student loans, don't get hung up on earning money right now. Focus on what will earn you more money later. For example, another part time job money wise might net you another let's say $150 a week.

    Do the math: x52 weeks in a year = $7800/yr - taxes

    But let's say you take that time and get a certification that allows you to make an extra $10K/yr more at your first job with better experience than what it would have been. It snowballs because you'd then be more likely to get promoted to even better positions faster down the road.

    With that said, if you found a part time job that provided valuable experience, even if it paid crap, you should consider it!
    Good luck to all!
  • brad-brad- Member Posts: 1,218
    Take that spare time and do one of two things, depending on your mood:

    1) Relax. Do something to help you de-stress.

    2) Study for your next cert.
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