Joshua George, a first-year student, works part-time at the front desk of a hotel. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

With the gloom surrounding global recession, students are receiving live lessons in the importance of money. But it is not just through news-flashes and the concern of parents at home. It is front and centre, with students now choosing to join the workplace, if only part time, during their time in college. But why, when they can have it easy? t2 checks it out...

Pocket pinchers

No one can say no to some extra money, especially when your only source of revenue is your parents! Joshua George, a first-year student at St Xavier’s College, worked at a hotel for a while after his board exams. “I suddenly had a lot of free time on my hands and no idea what to do with it. My parents weren’t giving me much money, because apparently, I didn’t need it. So when a friend of mine told me about this opportunity, I jumped at it!” he says. “I made the extra money so I could buy the little things I wanted just for myself and learnt what it is like to be independent.”

The uber-talented children in the film The Royal Tenenbaums balance careers as successful author, marketing genius and tennis champ while carrying on with their studies

Freedom 2008

That, of course, is the second, perennial, big reason. Young guns always try to break out on their own, and nothing means freedom from parental restriction like your own cash. “I really wanted to experience what life on my own would be like,” says Opashona Ghosh, a third-year student at St Xavier’s who has worked part-time in newspapers, films, and the fashion industry. “Having my own money that I could spend on my own terms, and being guilt-free about that expenditure, it’s just an amazingly liberating feeling.”

Pujarini Sen, second-year student at Jadavpur University, agrees: “I have worked with the Contentmedia Foundation, through Seagull’s Choicemakers Internship, which helps place students as interns in organisations they are compatible with. It is not just about the money you make; the freedom of doing what you really want to be doing is worth working hard for.”

rainy day fund

Spending money is as easier done than said, but there are those forward-thinking youngsters who actually look to save the money they earn. Shreya Sanghani, a first-year student of English at JU is one such individual. “I took a year off after school and took up several part-time jobs, mostly freelancing as a content writer for various MNCs,” she says. “Sure, I spent a little bit of the money I made here and there, but I have stashed away quite a bit of it. It provides security; you never know when you might want — or need — the money.”

job’s sake

A growing number of students are also willing to work for free. In a world where job experience counts as much as academic performance, even an unpaid internship can come in handy. “I have worked on lights for plays, taught privately and even worked as a waiter and I haven’t been paid every time,” smiles Arjun Raj, a second-year student at Wigan & Leigh College. “The experience is what really counts. It helps get into college, get a job and survive in the professional world. Also, you tend to meet a lot of interesting people in any field of work. If you handle yourself properly, you can build a valuable set of contacts that will always be useful,” adds Raj.

Anubrata Basu is a first-year student at St Xavier’s College, who has acted professionally and has also been a voiceover artiste in animation shows. “I do the kind of work I want to do, the kind of work I see myself doing in the future. But it’s not all about the future. You only get so many opportunities to do something you really want to do and you only have so much time to do it all in. Sometimes, the experience is worth it for its own sake,” he says.

And of course, it beats having nothing to do with yourself. “I get money for everything from my parents, including food, transport, and whatever little I wish to spend on myself. But still, I have some spare time on my hands and I wanted to use it to do something constructive instead of just lazing about,” says Samik Dasgupta, a first-year student at Jadavpur University who has taught and worked as a content writer.

Office office

We know why students are opting for part-time jobs in greater numbers, but what about organisations that hire them? “Students who are only willing to work part-time come with a few drawbacks, like inflexibility of working hours and lack of experience, but if you are willing to look beyond that for a while, there truly are some talented individuals out there,” says Navkaran Singh Bagga, CEO of the Dee Empresa Hotel. “Interns usually work for free or for basic pay and we get skilled and valuable employees, some of whom stay on full time.”

Whether it is for pocket money, as a means of breaking away or to save up for a rainy day or earn that much-needed work experience, the young ’uns are stepping out — for good.