Working and college. For many students, both are a fact of life. Some just want a way of making extra pocket money. Others must work in order to support themselves.
College is expensive, especially if the student is paying for tuition and other expenses.
Some students live at home or in the dorms, where there isn't monthly rent to worry about.
For those students opting to have an apartment, the costs of utilities, groceries and laundry just add to the mountain of finances to be tackled each month.
The decision to get a job is only the first step. Finding a job that will fit into your schedule is important. Some of the most popular jobs for college students are waiting tables, retail, school-related work and do-it-yourself jobs.
Biology junior Scott Phillips works from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. weeknights at UPS, packing and lifting heavy boxes. He comes home and sleeps until 9 a.m., then he has to wake up to get ready to go to classes.
As a sales representative for Cutco knives, he is on the phone after classes, making appointments with prospective customers. He spends his evening meeting people and making presentations. At 11 p.m., he is off to UPS again.
When does Phillips find the time to do homework, study and write papers? How does he keep his grade-point average up?
This is a question UK students face when they work and go to college simultaneously. The best situations are those where students can find a balance between all of their activities, and then form a daily routine.
Finding a job that pays a livable wage is equally frustrating.
"You run into two major problems," said English freshman Keith Haas. "Students usually have limited work availability because their classes are during the day, and without a degree, students have limited qualifications for most good jobs."
Haas works weeknights at The Dutch Mill on South Limestone. He can afford to work less because he lives at home with his parents.
Advertising junior Billy Hylton delivers pizza for Mad Mushroom two days a week. He recently has acquired a second job with the long distance company, Excel.
In his spare time, Hylton solicits customers to switch long distance carriers and he makes a profit in the process.
"Excel is a job that I do on the side," Hylton said. "And because I decide my own hours, it doesn't interfere with my classes."
Civil Engineering junior Clark Tauson manages to juggle three different jobs while going to college. He is the stockboy at Structure in Fayette Mall, he works security at the door of Krazy Jax on weekends, and he buys and sells cows for slaughter.
"It doesn't feel like I'm working three jobs because I work only 20-25 hours per week," Tauson said, referring to his seemingly overloaded schedule. "I like the fact that I don't have to go to the same job every day."
Working while earning a degree is not always easy. The increasing cost of education has made more and more students join the work force, but UK students seem to be handling all of the extra work rather well.