# Is working a menial job during college an economically rational thing to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 24, 2010, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264 "2010-08-24T07:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264/81 "2010-08-30T23:27:35Z")
Probably you want to go the opposite way: The kind of job you like would be classed as “entrepreneurial”. Maybe you want “salaried” in there as a term for white collar who works for someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264/82 "2010-08-30T23:29:11Z")
There are no jobs that are beneath you. There are only jobs that you don’t want to do. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264/83 "2010-08-31T03:10:46Z")
Back in 1976 my dad had a stroke and died as I was finishing my junior year. Well there was no way in hell I was going to let three years of an accounting major go to waste. Mom helped but I needed to take responsibility for my own finances. I went looking and found the best job in the world for a college student. I worked graveyard shift at a self serve gas station in North Sacramento for 2.25 an hour. Once the bar rush is done at 1:30 and my cleanup is done I had all night to study. I also worked odd jobs for 3.00 an hour on the weekends. I had to cut back on my units but I did graduate in December of 78. All in all it was the best for me. My grades improved because I was studing more. I handle money better now and my girl friend who put up with all the cheap dates for a year and a half agreed to marry me six months after graduation. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264/84 "2010-08-31T03:26:17Z")
Correction: Gradutated in December 1977. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264/85 "2010-08-31T15:10:40Z")
By the time I got my undergraduate degree, I’d been a(n): [ul] [li]telemarketer[/li][li]janitor[/li][li]welder[/li][li]short order cook[/li][li]switchboard operator - IME much more difficult than telemarketer[/li][li]librarian[/li][li]art gallery attendant[/li][li]data analyst for some grad students[/li][li]protoype builder for a video game company[/li][li]electronic technician at a marine biology lab[/li][li]puppet, pauper, pirate, poet, pawn and king[/li][/ul] I didn’t think any of the jobs were beneath me, though there are certainly a multitude of jobs I’d rather avoid. Working during school probably contributed to my being a below-average student, but I did not “choose” to work while in college. Rather, I chose to go to college. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-working-a-menial-job-during-college-an-economically-rational-thing-to-do/551264.md?page=4)