Photo courtesy of St. Ambrose University Marketing Department.
Balancing the need to earn a paycheck while trying to build a future has become a defining reality for many students at St. Ambrose University. As summer approaches, many students struggle to find time to balance financial necessity and professional ambition. While internships are often seen as essential building blocks for future success, they don’t always come with paychecks.
Doing It All and Burning Out
Some, however, like the challenge of working hard and having extreme dedication. Freshman biology major Mason Shaak is one of them.
“This summer I’m committing myself to a highly demanding set of goals and schedule which is very overwhelming and expensive, but I know in the end it will all be worth it,” Shaak says. “I will be participating in research at St. Ambrose with the biology department. At the same time, I’ll be balancing two jobs, one will be working at Dicks House of Sport, and the other working at a public pool as a manager. In addition to these responsibilities, I’ll be working towards completing an EMT course, earning my certification so that I can gain real clinical experience. These commitments will in hopes grow me closer to being able to obtain my goal of going to med school.”
Shaak said there’s an extreme amount of anxiety when it comes to being able to afford his EMT internship, and balancing his other two jobs in hopes to be able to cover the expenses.
Senior nursing major Annie Rude has been busy for four years full of exams, hard work, and determination. “Burnt out is an understatement. As a senior nursing major with a week left, I don’t have time to work every day, so I occasionally nanny to be able to afford necessities.”
She says she is excited to be able to get a stable job with her degree this summer. “I plan to take my NCLEX at the beginning of July, and then I will start working at the Birth Center Unit at Mercy One in Silvis, Illinois. I have a few family trips planned this summer as well.”
Choosing Paychecks Over Experience
For some SAU students, financial responsibilities mean stepping away from internships this summer and instead focusing more on spending their time working from a day-to-day basis or just taking the summer off to relax from the stressful year. After months of classes, homework assignments, etc., the idea of taking an internship with little to no pay seems unbearable.
Not everyone is able to fit internships in their schedules this summer, or they just prefer to pursue that later in their college careers. For many at St. Ambrose University, summer looks different not because they lack ambition, but because their priorities are shaped by cost and time.
“This summer, I decided to take a job at a hospital here in Davenport,” says sophomore nursing major Anagrace Isaacson. “I don’t have a lot of time on my hands the next few months because when I’m not working in the hospital, I will also be working at a local ice cream shop in my hometown, which is about an hour from Davenport. My goals are to save up as much money as I can, because the cost of living right now isn’t ideal for us students so I am trying to be as well prepared as I can be.”
Sophomore Physical Therapy major Danielle Moore has similar plans. “I plan to spend the summer working back home in Indiana, and spending as much time as possible with friends and family,” she says. “We have lots of camping weekend trips planned, and I think taking the time off of school will allow me to relax and I am actually really looking forward to getting a break from school and focusing on myself and work.”
“I have to work this summer and save money because I like to treat myself every once in a while, but having to work does actually kind of put a dent in my elementary education major requirements because back home I could be observing at daycares and places of that nature. But I am a very independent person and always have been so working, babysitting, and traveling when I can be my summer plans,” says sophomore elementary education major Grace Fessler.
How Does the Cost-of-Living Shape Decisions
As the cost of living rises, students are now facing hard challenges where they believe their priorities should be to survive. Students are finding that their summer decisions are less about preference and more about necessity. The price of everyday needs like gas, groceries, housing, and transportation has increased tremendously, and gas prices just over the last month have gone up around $1 to $2 in some locations.
According to CBS News, the cost of food has risen by 19.7% since 2022. That means that a grocery bill in 2022 of $100 would now be on the verge of $120.
This shift has long-term implications. This can be a major setback for some students when it comes to graduation requirements. Students say they feel as if they are “running out of time” and aren’t sure what to do.
“I think that there’s a lot of pressure especially on upper classmen right now,” says exercise science major Austin Hicks.
“A lot of my friends are juniors, and they say that they are super stressed when it comes to balancing an internship with work with the little time they have left. They also always talk about how hard it is to find a well-paying internship, and one that fits with their class and work schedules.”
Some students here at SAU can accept unpaid internships and enjoy their summers without the immense feeling of anxiety with the support of family and savings. Others unfortunately must turn down their schooling for a few semesters until they can get on their feet without overwhelming their bodies.
