The author teaching at the University

5 reasons why you should have a side job while studying, even if you don’t need to

Growing up in a working family from a small italian village, I heard stories of my parents working since they were 8 years old. While attending high school, I started tutoring kids in lower classes than mine, this was my very first official side job. It was followed by season blueberry picking, facilitating summer camps, working as a waiter at a restaurant, babysitting and working as a clerk at a bureau du change.

Modern italian culture is resistant to having side jobs while studying. The university is a long and windy road, students feel constantly out of time and parents are happy to fully support them during this time, therefore nobody feels the need, unless it’s really necessary, to work.

After high school, I moved to the UK for 4 years. I found the culture to be very different over the channel. There, it is common for students to take out loans to be able to pay for university costs, and parents are often not able to support them financially. Many of my friends had already been having summer jobs and continued to have them during their bachelors.

No wonder italians have been called the “bamboccioni”, or the “overgrown babies”, that even through their thirties are still relying on their parents financial support and sometimes even living at their homes.

However, the education system also plays a role here. On one hand, the italian university system tends towards being more theoretical, students have to attend more lectures, read more books, do more homework. The british system, on the other hand, is more practical, more concrete and in touch with reality, focusing on preparing students to face challenges with short deadlines and a flexible approach. Bachelor programmes leave students plenty of time to explore life outside of lectures, to carve networks and to sign up to clubs to deepen a passion while learning a new skill. And to get side jobs.

Being able to be financially independent, and stop being a financial burden for my parents, felt completely natural and right to me. It gave me a feeling of independence and pride, and simply made me feel good about my relationship with my parents. What I didn’t expect was the huge amount of learning opportunities that I got exposed to in all the different side jobs I took on.

Looking back at my education, it felt as if I learnt a huge deal in high school and university about maths, literature, history, science and teamwork. And yet I felt that each of those little side jobs taught me some things that I never learnt at school. Here’s my list:

1. I learnt to appreciate all kinds of work and workers. Yep, when you go through uni, and you maybe study science, or law or medicine and then go straight into a high level job you may loose the sense of perspective, and it is hard to appreciate the patience, hard work, determination and strength required in jobs which are generally payed less and regarded as less prestigious. Waking up at 4 am to be in a field full of mosquitoes until the sun is roasting you at midday is not a walk in the park. It certainly is not like going through a bunch of emails! Neither is staying up till 2 am after running back and forth between tables, remembering everyones orders and putting out a nice smile at all times independently on your mood. All jobs are challenging in their own ways, and there is no job that should be thought of less than others. There is always a ton of stuff to be learned in every experience.
2. I learnt responsibility. Even though I would not regard myself as a very responsible person, yet I felt having a job, with a contract, making a commitment even if for just a month or two or six, certainly took my responsibility to the next level. Sure, one learns about being responsible at studying on time for the exams, and be in charge of their own education, but that’s not quite close to the kind of responsibility needed once uni is over.
3. I learnt to put up a smile in the worst situations. I happened to be humiliated a couple of times, for example on my first week as a waitress at a high level restaurant on the italian riviera. An old man was dining with three ladies, and I happened to take away the finished plates of one of the ladies together with the man’s. He got very upset that I did not bring back first only the lady’s plate to then return to pick up his. He told me “Don’t they teach you anything at waiting school?”. I wanted to tell him — actually, I am studying experimental physics abroad — but I didn’t, I apologised and kept smiling. Being able to serve customers, or approach colleagues later on, with a smile and a good attitude has served me many more times.
4. I got fully independent and free, yes, by 20 years old I was completely paying off all my uni & living bills. This meant that not only I felt good about not burdening my parents, but I also felt free to take any decision and make any choice I wanted. I felt free to make mistakes and take risks, I did not have to be accounted for everything I did. It has been a great feeling ever since.
5. I learnt the value of money, and how easy it is to waste it or not waste it. Managing my full finances since an early age has certainly made me develop a healthy relationship with money. It has given me a clear sense of the value of things such as food, rent, health, clothes. It has showed me how easy it is to waste money, but also how easy it is to not waste it, and save it for something truly worth it. I realised that in fact, I could live perfectly well on a fairly small amount of money each month, and I did not really need more than that. I am grateful for this lesson, which I find very valuable in life.

I remember one week during my second year at university, when I decided to stretch myself in an experiment. I gave myself 5£ (a fiver!) for one week. 5 pounds to cover food and any other expense I needed that week. I wanted to challenge myself, and really see how far I could take it. Of course I had some rice and pasta in the pantry, which was very necessary. However I also found that friends were willing to have me for dinners as soon as they learnt of my tiny weekly budget, I feasted on small cakes from the donations stands, giving away some small coins for them, I did not buy any drinks nor new clothes nor useless accessories that week. And it felt completely fine! I made it just about to the end of that week. It was an insightful experiment!

I am grateful to my parents, who have always encouraged me to pursue personal independence and to learn how to take care of myself. They also trusted me at all times, and they were truly wonderful in their support and in hiding all the anxiety and fears which are natural of parents who see their young daughter leave alone to a different country (an especially hard task for italian parents!).

The skills I have learned through these small summer and short term jobs have stayed with me, and have shed light on aspects of my character and talents which I would not have discovered if I just spend my uni partying and studying. The patience and the ability to share passion in teaching, the ability to deal with stressful and demanding busy restaurant orders, the precision and professional attitude required in a bureau du change.

And above all, I had fun trying out all kinds of experiences. Sometimes I felt bored, or challenged, but looking back at it, I was hugely enriched by small, summer and short term side jobs.