Working Part Time while in School?

[SunGiant37]

I keep thinking about the ridiculous amount of money I have to take out in loans for school (mostly due to NYC living expenses) and I was wondering if it was unwise for me to get a part time job while in school? I really want to minimize the amount of loans I need to use as much as possible when it comes to living expenses. I know my parent would probably help me out when it comes to groceries (not with rent though) but taking out more loan $$ to pay for rent seems a bit ridiculous to me when I could maybe work to pay for that or even work to pay the interest of my loan while I'm in school?

I usually do better academically when I'm juggling both work and school but I know PT school is nothing like undergrad so I was wondering what your thoughts on doing this was? Or what other potential PT students are doing?

I wish I was the go with the flow type but an 100k+ loan debt gives me so much anxiety when I think about it. The trials and tribulations of only being accepted to one school and not having loaded parents

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[DjT3kN]

From talking to friends, who are either current PT students or recent grads. They've all advised me against working while in school. The workload, in their opinion, is already heavy enough that working in addition would probably burn me out faster. I recently received my financial aid letter from my school for the start of Fall and calculated the total debt I'll be in after 3 years. It nearly gave me a heart attack. But as another friend mentioned, you can't put a price on something that you'll love. I firmly believe that and will maintain my 100% focus on school so that I can be a well-rounded, competent, skilled clinician. At this point, I came here to smash the NPTE exam and hand out lollipops. And I'm all out of lollipops.

 

[PTProspect7]

Does your program offer any GA positions? I would look into that as some programs pay you a decent stipend, covering sometimes nearly 1/4 to 1/2 of a semester's tuition costs. They tend to require you to be involved in a lot of ongoing research or teach undergraduate courses as a TA, which can definitely boost one's CV. Search for library or computer assistant positions around campus if possible since these jobs usually allow you to work at a desk with very few distractions and can give you additional time to study while getting paid.

Do any of the clinics or hospitals in your area have PT Aides? I've been an aide both part time and PRN throughout undergrad and hope to do the same throughout PT school. Search for PRN or weekend aide positions that work with your class schedule as they seem to pay better than desk positions, can offer on-the-job learning, networking, and possibly a job as a PT at that location following graduation. The only negatives I can think of working as an aide are getting burned out by monotony, and eliminating that site as a potential clinical rotation site, if that was in your plans.

 

[brooklynyc]

OP, where you attending? Just curious. I will be attending school in NYC as well.

I want to work part time at a tutoring company in Brooklyn but I'm going to wait until I get acclimated with the workload.

 

[topher031888]

I am in a 3 year program (including summers) and I have the luxury of not working thanks to my wonderful wife but at least half of my classmates work 10-15 hours a week. They do just fine. Some work for the department in various ways, one of them is a bar tending on weekends, and another works weekends at the ski resorts. I don't know if they make enough to pay rent but they are able to soften the blow significantly. Do whatever it takes to keep those loans down without working yourself to exhaustion. Most of them enjoy work to some extent because it forces them to step away from school a bit during the week.

Try and contact current students of the program and see what they think. Some of the shorter programs might be so rigorous that working is near impossible.

There are often price tags on things we love, we can choose to ignore it, but that doesn't mean it goes away. Don't let it affect your ability to enjoy doing what you love.

 

[okramango]

A few of my classmates have worked here and there throughout the program (maybe 1-2 shifts per week max). Sometimes they've been pretty stressed when exams pile on and they've had to go to work rather than study, but overall they've managed. I'd suggest holding off until you get used to the pace of school, and then decide how much time you can commit to a job.

 

[1027453812]

DPT '17 here: I currently work a job offered through work study at my school - I would recommend limiting yourself to such jobs only because they do better at forming your work schedule around your school schedule. I would also reflect quickly in your early stages of your first semester in PT school to gauge how much time you need to devote to studying, which will translate to how much or how little your free time will be - this can dictate the type(s) of jobs you can take up

 

[SunGiant37]

Does your program offer any GA positions? I would look into that as some programs pay you a decent stipend, covering sometimes nearly 1/4 to 1/2 of a semester's tuition costs. They tend to require you to be involved in a lot of ongoing research or teach undergraduate courses as a TA, which can definitely boost one's CV. Search for library or computer assistant positions around campus if possible since these jobs usually allow you to work at a desk with very few distractions and can give you additional time to study while getting paid.

Do any of the clinics or hospitals in your area have PT Aides? I've been an aide both part time and PRN throughout undergrad and hope to do the same throughout PT school. Search for PRN or weekend aide positions that work with your class schedule as they seem to pay better than desk positions, can offer on-the-job learning, networking, and possibly a job as a PT at that location following graduation. The only negatives I can think of working as an aide are getting burned out by monotony, and eliminating that site as a potential clinical rotation site, if that was in your plans.

I'm not sure if they offer those things but I'm definitely going to look into it. I was thinking about getting something like a bartending job but that also sounds like a viale option.

I currently work as an aide but I don't make as much as I would like if I decided to work while going to school. I actually made more doing a desk job but I'm not sure how desk jobs work if I'm in school most of the day. I guess I won't know what I'm able to do until I get my schedule.

OP, where you attending? Just curious. I will be attending school in NYC as well.

I want to work part time at a tutoring company in Brooklyn but I'm going to wait until I get acclimated with the workload.

I'm attending Touro! I'm thinking about maybe getting a bartending gig or something but I'm not sure how that'd fit into my school schedule. My boss who is a PT did that while in school but I'm not sure if it works for everyone.

 

[merebear]

Bartending would be good. The people I've talked to said that the first year is the hardest for working and going to school. But I think you would be able to get away with 1-2 shifts per week the first year especially if you are good with time management! I’m going to try to get a GA position but if that doesn’t work out I will most likely serve/bartend on the weekends to make that extra money.

 

[PTpro]

I'm planning on living off of loans and hopefully a good job that my wife made it until the hard sciences are mostly over with and then I'll try a limited work study at my school for extra spending cash. A friend of mine (2nd yr student) is a waiter on the weekends, has one kid and he said he's about spent every week. I don't want to be that way.

 

[Azimuthal]

My classmates worked part time off and on. IMO, unless its consistent with decent pay, the money you make isn't going to put much of a dent in student loans.

 

[VitaminPT]

Is it really worth trying in the long run? No job you can take on part-time would make that much of a difference. Remember, you only have a limited amount of energy and mental capacity during the day.

The only time I've seen it as worth it was at the health care company where I currently work. My friend in PT school was working every night and weekend. Because he was able to average 30 hours/week the company was paying $6,000 each semester for school. You could really tell the strain it put on him... made him look like a zombie.