University can be a challenging time for people from all walks of life. But one thing that seems to universally challenge students from any corner of the globe is finances. Even if you have a family to help you out, most students will be on a tight budget across the board – even for the technology they may need.
Some courses will require it – not officially, of course. But taking a course on computer architecture without your own tinkering machine, or a course on application software development without your own working environment setup just makes it that little bit harder.
So, here are some tips to make your money go further.
Buy Second-Hand Devices
This is a good one for the students needing to invest in a tinkering device. It is always good practice to have some kind of device for note-taking and general use, and then a secondary device for tinkering with.
Even if you aren’t messing around with the computer’s software and hardware, the applications that you may need to use for your tech-oriented course can be demanding for a normal computer. This can wear it down and make it prone to crashing – something you certainly don’t want in the middle of a lecture.
So, buying cheaper, second-hand devices for all your tinkering needs is absolutely the best way to go. This tip may not be useful for students out with the tech fields – but you can still apply the same logic.
For Computers, Buy Refurbished Parts
Refurbished parts can get an unnecessarily bad reputation for no good reason at all. Well, that is, professionally refurbished parts. Your mate soldering some old chips together doesn’t count.
But for people that own their own computer, or are going to, there will come a point in time that you may need to upgrade your PC to meet certain requirements. You may not, but if you do, using refurbished parts can help you save.
A common tip that people don’t consider is using server tech in their PC. Now we don’t mean graphics cards, as they differ significantly, but things like Central Processing Units, Power Supply Units, and Storage devices are all fair game. ETB technologies have a wide range of server tech to consider for your next build.
For Expensive Tech, Have A Pool Group
This may, initially, seem like a very strange thing to do for a piece of technology. But not all universities will supply their students with the technology needed for at-home learning.
Sure, you can always check out the tech you need from your campus, but this isn’t always reliable. For instance, the campus will only have a limited supply of equipment. But what can you do if you can’t afford to splash the cash on such expensive equipment? You can pool.
Pooling is when several people put in money to buy something expensive. Common pools include people pulling money together for cars, or communal buses. But there’s nothing stopping you and a friend from pooling money to get a machine you can both use – and then sell on afterwards.
This can cut the cost of expensive tech dramatically for both parties involved for joint ownership – bonus points if it is with a flatmate!