When Priyadarshini Paikray joined Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, for her graduation in political science last year, earning money to meet her expenses became necessary. Today, she teaches school students at a private coaching centre in Cuttack and makes around `9,000 a month. She manages to save a small portion of it for the future. At present, she is pursuing her second year and plans to pursue MA from the same varsity.
“Since this is the second year of my college, there isn’t much pressure as far as studies are concerned and this is why I chose to work. I would consider giving up the job during the third year when there would be more of examinations and assignments in college,” she says, adding that she would go ahead to do BEd and then get into the teaching profession. With an aim of becoming a teacher, she thinks her part-time job will help her gather some work experience. She says that with both government and private universities insisting on work experience, students like her find themselves gaining practical exposure while stocking up on something that would add weight to their resume.
“Apart from the experience, the money comes in handy to meet my expenses. With the increase in prices, depending on parents for every small expense is not acceptable. Hence, I decided to work part-time,” she says. While she attends classes in the morning, she teaches school kids in the evening for two hours every day. “Balancing both work and studies is not taxing for me due to my class timings. Besides, I am happy that I am utilising my time fruitfully,” says Paikray.
— diana@newindianexpress.com