Learning to Earn
 Student: Milagros Sanchez |
November 2022
Times have changed for the average student. With the cost of living rising over the years, it’s natural for students to find jobs to feed themselves or pay their way through college. The problem is that working full-time and being a student is tough. At worst, overwhelming. At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, there is a way to earn school credit and continue working, called UWP 294: Work-based learning.
“Work-based learning is a course that is intended to award credit to students for their learning in their current work experiences,” says Theresa Castor, the professor who teaches the class. “Students can be in any type of job, whether or not the job relates to their major, such as retail, sales, customer service, restaurant work, warehouse work, parcel delivery, transportation, etc.”
In UWP 294, students are asked to not only work but reflect on their work, getting more out of their work and extracting useful skills for bigger and better jobs. Students learn lessons for successful job entry like resume work, cover letters, networking, and interviewing.
Milagros Sanchez, enrolled in UWP 294 while working at CVS Pharmacy as a shift supervisor. With only three weeks into the class, Sanchez already believes the lessons taught are useful for any working student. “It's just me kind of just touching up on the stuff that I know I need to be focusing on,” she starts. “I know I need to be updating my resume frequently and connecting with people, because I know that's what college is for. It's for connecting with other students, your teachers, instructors, and all the resources that they give you.”
She also believes that there is a great support system given in UWP 294. When asked about how helpful Dr. Castor is, Sanchez says “She’s very open to helping. She's made it clear that she's here to help us. And yes, I appreciate her as an instructor because she's making it known that she's there to help and that she knows that she's very much educated in this field of study.”
Time is the most valuable thing for a working student. There is only so much a person can do in a day. According to Sanchez, time is of no issue in UWP 294.
“It’s also a hybrid, so we're not always going to be in class. It hasn't been taking up too much of my time.”
If earning a general education credit while working sounds enticing, UWP 294 might be perfect for the spring semester.
Maurice Campbell
Content Writing Intern
Office of Community & Business Engagement