Scholarship opportunities for upcoming college students have opened up for all those involved in the workforce, especially larger companies such as Starbucks, Amazon, and McDonald’s.

One of the leading factors when deciding to attend higher education, has always been the many costs associated with pursuing studies at that location. Many students especially from lower income areas, struggle with the exorbitant costs of college, not to mention if they choose a college from out of state

These issues can be made considerably lighter when considering the various scholarships offered by companies at even entry-level jobs

Starbucks in particular has taken this to the next step, offering nearly free coverage of resources such as online schooling/education via their programs. “With the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, I received one hundred percent coverage at Arizona State University, to pursue any major of my choice there” puts ASU student Isabella Burkhart on her nearly free college tuition after starting a job at Starbucks. 

Although the program previously stated is an online program, the sheer benefits of free higher education for simply putting in the hours at a job like a Barista, outweigh any cons online schooling might have.

Even scholarships completely unrelated to performance as an employee are offered now, as Chick-fil-A has started offering a $25,000 annual scholarship to any employee meeting the requirements. “The scholarship is targeted towards kids with a harsh and rough upbringing, no matter what position you are in all you have to do is fill out a survey concerning your parents and struggles in life, and just like that you might have a shot” states Chick Fil A employee Karma Caldwell who recently earned the $25,000 scholarship through the program.

However, not all will qualify for these big and selective scholarships, but many corporations opt to provide even general help, scholarships ranging from $2,000-5,000 a year that many employees can earn through the application process.

The commitment at the jobs that offer these massive scholarships is not demanding, most requirements just being that you be an employee for at least a month to apply. “ I put in probably 20 hours a week at Chick Fil-A, and yet they hand me these giant sums of money for just my 20 hours, I got to say that’s worth it” Caldwell exclaims on how easy these opportunities are to achieve with so little effort.

These opportunities are not few and far between, upcoming college students this year should be greatly advised to research the availability of these employment scholarships because a few hours of work a week can mean the world of difference through these opportunities.