SoFi Blog

A lot of factors go into planning a college career—applying for financial aid, choosing a major, and even figuring out whether you need to get a job. It’s enough to make your head spin.

If you do decide to work, there might be some significant benefits in finding the right part-time job for your college years, including:

•   Paying for unexpected expenses: You might need to pay for membership dues for a club you want to join, clothing, or extra cups of coffee during finals week.

•   Job experience: Part-time jobs might provide you with experience in your chosen field.

•   Advantages in hiring: Employers, post-graduation, might prefer to hire entry-level professionals who already have some industry-relevant work experience.

So, how do you find the right part-time job during college? When is the right time to find that job? It could be when you’re still applying to schools or after you’re already established in at your chosen college. Whenever you’re looking, here are some ideas for finding the right fit for you.

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more.
Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

If you’ve followed Congress even casually over the past few years, you’re probably aware that there isn’t much that flows through the House of Representatives or the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

On Thursday, May 16 the House defied expectations, and their recent track record, by passing the SECURE act by an overwhelming 417-3 . True to form, though, the SECURE act stands for the “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019”.

If the Senate and House agree on the bill as it stands now, it could end up being a big deal that changes the way lots of people save for retirement, invest in 401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement accounts, and even the way they tackle student loan debt.

If you got a tax refund this year, you’re probably still giddy about the extra money. Who doesn’t love an unexpected windfall? Maybe you gave the federal government a little too much out of each paycheck last year. But what matters now is that you’ve got a tax refund in hand, and you want to be wise about how to use it.

If you have yet to decide what to do with your tax refund, it might be time to set some priorities. This is going to be relatively painless, and hopefully it will help you gain some clarity on the money issues that keep you up at night.

If debt is dragging you down, this could be an opportunity to pay off a credit card or two, or some other high-interest debt that’s been plaguing you. If your refund is anywhere close to the average—which was about $3,000 last year—you could potentially take a serious bite out of any balances you’re carrying.

Groupon or GrubHub? Square or Paypal? eBay or Etsy? Who will win our business may be up for debate, but the question of how the gig economy is changing the future of work and commerce certainly is not.

When you think about the Gig Economy, you may immediately think of Lyft drivers and short-term rental hosts, but there are many other players and companies helping to make this shift in the workforce a permanent fixture of everyone’s daily lives to bring you what you want, when you want it.

Getting laid off can send your finances into a tailspin, especially if the pink slip comes without much notice. Whether you are facing temporary unemployment, or are having trouble finding a full-time position for a while, it’s important to think about how you will handle your student loans during this period so that you don’t go into default.

While it’s certainly scary to suddenly be without a job, layoffs are pretty common. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every year about 21 million Americans lose their jobs due to layoffs and discharges.

If you recently got laid off and are suddenly scrambling to pay your bills, you may wish to consider income-driven repayment plans for your federal student loans or student loan forbearance. Loan forbearance allows the borrower to temporarily stop making payments, or at least reduce the payment amount for a specific timeframe, and can apply under many circumstances, not just unemployment.