My college will be fully paid for by my parents and I will not be working my first year because I don’t want any more distractions than there will already be by majoring in engineering and attending a large university.
My question is: Is there enough time to manage a part-time job while in an engineering program?
I am not being forced to work because my parents are going to pay for mostly everything, but I would like to have some cash when I leave college so I am not forced to take a job I don’t want really quickly, be able to buy a car, or just have some leeway.
The way I think about it is, the low income jobs (9-12/hr) can not compare to wages of a starting engineer. Is it smarter to focus the time I could devote towards work into the classroom or work a little bit to have some spending money?
You will find out for yourself how much work your course work will be for you, and how much time you will have for a part-time job. Some students have plenty of time left over to work for pay, while others may have a harder time fitting course work and working for pay into their schedule.
Your first priority should be your course work. If working for pay during college is optional in terms of affording college, do so only if it will not cause you to do poorly in your course work (the worst case is failing courses and having to take an expensive extra semester to graduate).
You may want to consider some jobs that may be helpful to your academics. For example, working as a tutor in the tutoring center, or other academic support jobs, may help you reinforce your knowledge. Some other jobs may be helpful to exploring your career options (e.g. working in an engineering lab, or writing computer software).
If all you need is spending money then I recommend getting a job over summer break. You can easily save-up a few thousand, and that should go a long way for “fun money” during the year. If things go well at school, you can consider working 10-15hrs per week your sophomore year, but if you don’t have to work freshman year, I wouldn’t.
If you don’t have to work, I would work very little or none until you have a chance to settle in to college life (first semester or first year). After that, I would definitely recommend work during the summer and maybe a little bit during the school year. Any work experience is important but even more so if it is related to your future goals.