Spring break: Making money vs. spending money
Holidays and jobs have never mixed well. It seems like if you don’t work one holiday, you’re due to be penciled in on the next one.
If you quit the job to enjoy every holiday, you’ll likely be enjoying it broke. If you work nonstop, you’ll have a nice nest egg built up, but you might feel burnt out. This is a harsh reality that many college students face.
Before I came to college, I imagined spring break as nothing but wild parties, road trips with lifelong friends and basically having fun or relaxing away from college. I didn’t add a job commitment into these cloudy dreams. I just assumed I would be granted that week off.
I assumed wrong.
So I’m left in Fargo working at Sam’s Club, which translates into a lonely extended stay on campus.
But I’m not the only one.
Many college students aren’t heading south of the border to blow more than $1,000 trying to get their faces on MTV. Many students are finding ways to make money instead of spending it. For many of these students, spring break is an opportune time to work their butts off and earn some extra cash.
One reason is that it’s a full week. It’s a chance for young adults to put in at least 40 hours of work if they choose to, maybe even earn some overtime.
One downside for younger college students is that staying in town is not free.
Residence halls charge a fee for holiday housing, which includes spring break. Staying on campus means paying an extra $10 per night, but not to exceed $50 per week.
I was confused by this idea when I first saw it in my NDSU planner. This statement doesn’t mean that after five days, you get thrown out; it means if you stay five days or seven days out of a week, the maximum amount you will have to pay is $50.
It’s a lot cheaper than a hotel room, but it is an added living expense that could be spent many other ways. Unless of course the employer is willing to cover the fee for a student’s one-week housing so he or she can stay in town and work.
Some students are lucky and have an off-campus residence to crash for the week. But many aren’t that fortunate and have to bite the bullet and subtract $50 from their one-week profit.
Staying in town and working is not all bad. It’s a chance to make some money, catch up on classes or even get in touch with friends you haven’t seen in months. Whether you’re in town because you choose to be or just couldn’t get out of the schedule, chin up; you’re not alone.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum