Do you work? Do you also go to school? If your answer is yes to both questions, welcome to the majority.

According to a survey quoted in Newsday, 66 percent of college seniors last year said they worked while in school, compared with 59 percent in 2006. Those numbers, provided by the National Survey of Student Engagement, are only likely to rise this year along with increased tuition and other living costs. Another survey, from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, yielded nearly identical results, so for once the surveys are pretty consistent.

In our workplace, we have several interns who work to learn, but also work to earn. This is not a new tradition, but it's certainly becoming more entrenched as a part of school -- both undergrad and grad school.

On my way to a degree, I spent too many evenings doing things like turning out photos for people who dropped their film off at convenience stores to be developed and printed. (To this day, I still can't stand seeing photos of dogs dressed up in little hats and outfits, sorry!)

A relatively small number of institutions have really extensive work-study programs, and those are primarily for undergrads. For grad students, and for alumni (who often try to fit in courses around the jobs that pay the bills), you're probably on your own.

It'd be way too easy to say that student loans are the entire basis for this problem, or maybe the price of gas. Truth is, working while in school becomes a choice, a rite of passage. College should be accessible, but not easy, most people would agree. Making the tough decisions about working and paying as you go along, versus paying later, is part of the educational process.

Unless, of course, a close and loving family member hits Mega Millions.

Do you resent having to go to school AND work?

Image by Wildcard403. Original photo by foTommEn.