By Dihandra Williams
It’s 10:45 p.m. and instead of getting into an Uber for a night out at Mission NYC like the rest of her friends, Jennifer Judge is preparing for an 8-hour shift at Walmart.
“I never expected my college experience to be like this,” said Judge. “But if I didn’t work, I wouldn’t be able to attend college at all.”
And unfortunately, this is the reality for many students who decide to pursue higher education. Due to things not being affordable, they’re forced to work long hours in order to get by.
For Judge, this means a course load that consists of 12 credits and a job that she works anywhere between 25-40 hours a week.
Judge attends Fordham University in New York, where the yearly tuition is nearly $56,000. And if that expense wasn’t high enough, she’s also responsible for her own phone bill, insurance and car note for a car that she doesn’t even drive because it just doesn’t make any sense financially.
“Fordham has always been my dream school and I couldn’t be happier with the education that I’m receiving, but sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth it considering how many hours I have to work in order to remain a student here,” said Judge.
Judge was asked if she ever considered working an on-campus job.
“I have, but NYC is a really expensive place to live in, so a campus job just wouldn’t pay me enough,” said Judge. “And there’s students on campus that need those jobs way more than me. At least I’m fortunate enough to have transportation to an off-campus job. A lot of kids here aren’t.”
Like High Point University, Fordham has a student employment program that provides well-rounded educational opportunities for their students while also enabling them to learn and practice valuable work-related skills. However, they’re oftentimes limited or don’t meet up to the job descriptions.
“The campus jobs here also go really fast, like in the blink of an eye fast,” said Judge. “So, nine times out of ten if you don’t know someone that can hook you up, you’re not getting the job. I really wish a campus job would be enough to cover my finances, but it’s just not.”
Because of this, Judge tries her best to put on her least artificial smile and properly greet each customer she encounters.
“It can be overwhelming. But it’s manageable,” said Judge.
Dihandra Williams is a senior at High Point University majoring in Journalism. For contact inquiries, please email dwillia2@highpoint.edu.
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