College can be expensive, especially when you factor in a social life. Lots of students work all the way through their years here. As long as you can manage your time reasonably well there’s no reason to give up your job.
And if you don’t have one, don’t worry yet. There are lots of chances to get employment on campus as well as off. The Student Union shops hire students. There are chances to get research positions during the summer, get paid for typing up notes in your classes for disabled students (yes, you get paid to attend your classes and take notes!) and there’s a UCD alumni telephone fund that takes on students too.
In first year I worked in the UCD Student Bar. It was absolutely brilliant. Not only could I easily get to work, but as the hub of student activity, I also got to know a lot of people and got free into all the gigs. Originally I found it difficult to manage my time between tutorials and the job, but once you get used to it and learn to anticipate what work you might have coming up, you’ll be fine.
UCD Student Bar - way more exciting inside than out!
Besides my job in the Student Bar, during my college years I’ve worked as a barista and front-of-house in the Grand Canal Theatre, as a receptionist in an office in the city, as a promoter for Bulmers Light and Flahavan’s Porridge (this involved me wearing a Formula One suit... not my finest hour!) and as a script delivery assistant in Fair City.
Another way to raise money is to work and save during the summer. And if you’re stuck there are other forms of help available too. The Student Union’s Welfare Fund exists to help out students facing financial difficulties, and the St Vincent de Paul have a fund set up too. Times are certainly very difficult at the moment, but don’t let a lack of cash get in the way of attending college.
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