Pham Sy Cuong (21 years old, from Ha Nam), a student at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, recalls the time in his second year of university when he had to pay nearly 7 million VND/semester to retake the course because he was too busy working part-time and neglected his studies.
His family was poor, so right from his first year of university, Cuong registered to drive a motorbike taxi to make ends meet and help his family with financial burdens.
At first, when he first started driving a motorbike taxi, Cuong took advantage of the morning to go to class, and in the afternoon and evening he drove, earning an average of 3-4 million VND per month. Earning money was quite easy, the male student gradually became more passionate, enthusiastically accepting jobs, even going to work until midnight every day before returning home.
Students are busy working part-time jobs, some drop out of school, some work hard to pay for re-study. (Illustration photo).
Being deeply involved in driving a motorbike taxi means that Cuong's studies are neglected, he only goes to school 2-3 times a week, the rest of the time he continues to work to earn money. " On busy days, I earn 300,000 - 500,000 VND/day, thanks to that, I can pay for my accommodation, food and living expenses myself, I don't have to ask my parents for money, I can even send money home", the young man shared.
When the final exam ended, Cuong was shocked to receive the result that he failed 5/7 subjects, all of which got an F and had to retake the course.
In the second year, Cuong had to retake all the subjects he failed in the previous semester with 15 credits, the tuition fee was 493,000 VND/credit (more than 7 million VND - almost double the normal tuition fee). Thus, combined with the number of new subjects in the second year, he had to study a total of 10 subjects with a tuition fee of more than 11 million VND - not a small amount for a student in difficult circumstances like Cuong.
Holding the tuition notice in his hand, Cuong thought about it. Driving a motorbike taxi only brought him about 3-4 million VND per month, while the tuition was twice as much. "Because of short-term benefits, it causes long-term harm." He also did not dare tell his family, afraid that his parents would be sad and worried.
After having to retake classes and pay a huge amount of money for this, the young man from Ha Nam limited his driving to the minimum and spent a lot of time studying. "On my days off, I still had to take advantage of driving to earn money to make up for my tuition fees," he said.
Cuong continues to drive a motorbike taxi but only in the evenings and on weekends. He determines that his main job is to study well to finish his fourth year of university soon and graduate early to start working.
In a similar situation, Luu Tien Minh (22 years old, from Phu Tho), a student at the University of Theatre and Cinema, started working part-time to earn money to support his life right from his first year. His first job was as a waiter at a coffee shop near the school with a meager salary of 15,000 - 20,000 VND/hour.
In his second year of university, Minh applied for a job at a media company in Cau Giay district. Due to his busy work schedule, his studies were affected. The salary at this company was about 6-7 million VND/month, quite high for a university student, so the male student found every way to skip school to work part-time. He often had to ask his friends to take attendance and study for him.
After learning the results, Minh was shocked when he got an F in 6/7 classes due to missing more than the required number of classes and had to retake the class. Instead of choosing to go back to school, he hid it from his family and made a bold decision to put his studies on hold, focusing on working to earn money with the mindset that "it's not too late to go back to school later when you have money".
During his time working, he realized that he did not need a degree to earn money. Thus, the male student from Phu Tho was caught up in the cycle of work, forgetting about studying.
After working for a while, Minh began to feel that his work was not progressing, his chances of promotion were low, and he regretted dropping out of school to work so early.
"Because of the immediate benefits of a small salary of 6-7 million VND, I lost a job opportunity with a salary much higher than that," Minh shared.
Cases like Minh and Cuong are not uncommon in universities today. Because they have no experience, many young people accept to work as waiters, motorbike taxi drivers, or do hard manual labor to earn money. Among them, many students are so engrossed in work that they neglect their studies.
According to Mr. Do Duc Long (lecturer of the Faculty of Sociology and Development, Academy of Journalism and Communication), according to the results of some studies at the school, the number of students working part-time accounts for a fairly high percentage of 60.8%.
Part-time jobs for students are a common trend to meet a number of needs such as: economic needs, suitable jobs, accumulating experience and skills, supporting family... However, part-time jobs for students can also cause some consequences, reducing time for studying or causing stress due to the pressure of studying and working at the same time.
Mr. Long advised students to manage their time well and make sure to carefully consider between part-time work and studying. Students should choose suitable jobs, not forget their main goals, always ensure the best health, and comply with school rules.
Khanh Son
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