Need to Work While You're in College? Consider an On-Campus Job

A part-time job can help with living expenses. But balancing a work schedule, classes and study time can be tough. Finding a job that is flexible enough to accommodate your school schedule is sometimes even tougher.

Many students find the best solution is a part-time job on campus. Most colleges offer many part-time work opportunities for their students. Students in these positions often find them an ideal way to gain experience, earn spending money and still have plenty of time to focus on their number one priority: school.

Why Work on Campus?

Most college students and administrators alike will admit that many on-campus jobs pay less than comparable positions elsewhere. Often, college and university offices and programs struggle with limited budgets. So why would a student choose to accept one of these positions?

The reasons are numerous.

Keeping Your Priorities in Line

Your number one priority is academic success. You're spending time and money to earn your degree. You get out of college what you put into it, so making sure you can stay focused is a key to success.

Most university offices, organizations and departments understand this. They exist to help students succeed in meeting their goals. So while they rely on their student staff to keep the wheels turning, they also tend to be more flexible and supportive. The fact that you may need time off to study or a schedule built around your courses is an expectation, not an inconvenience. .

Flexible Schedule

Often, college students have classes that meet throughout the day, with two or three hour breaks between. While you may have five free hours throughout the day, they are broken up in such a way that it isn't possible to commute to a job and work for an extended period. Most off-campus employers aren't looking for someone who can come in for two hours.

On-campus employers tend to think differently. You can go to your morning classes, report to work for an hour or two, go to an afternoon course, and then return to your job to put in a little more time. Your supervisors are used to working around student schedules and plan accordingly.

Convenience

How much easier can a commute get than bouncing across campus in between classes or taking a short walk from your dorm room? You can get to work even if you don't have a vehicle. If you do have a car, you don't have to give up that coveted campus parking space to drive yourself to work.

Dress Code

People who work on college campuses understand that students don't always have a "dress for success" budget. While your supervisor will expect you to dress appropriately, they'll usually work within the confines of a traditional student wardrobe.

Involvement and Networking

Most college and university professionals say that one of the keys to success in college is getting involved with campus life. If you are a full-time student who needs to work, you may not have much time for social clubs and organizations. But an on-campus job can help you feel connected to your college outside of the classroom. Working on-campus gives you the opportunity to meet administrators, faculty, and other students, and make connections that will help you along the way. Many college students have also gotten excellent references out of their former campus employers. These references can be instrumental in going on to graduate school or searching for a full-time job after graduation.

What Type of Work Is Available on Campus?

So, there are certainly benefits to working on campus. What types of jobs may be available?

When they think of on-campus jobs, many college students imagine working in the dining hall or retail outlets such as the bookstore. These are certainly options. But colleges are their own mini-worlds, and provide almost endless opportunities to gain a variety of work experience.

Are you looking for experience that will move you closer to a career in a helping profession? Explore job opportunities with your campus residential life organization. Most campuses hire students to serve as mentors or assistants in campus dorms and apartments. Your role may be helping other students adjust to campus life, mediating disputes between roommates, or assisting with organizing move-in and move-out days.

Maybe your interests are in the areas of marketing and public relations. Pay a visit to your school's alumni or annual giving office. They may hire students to assist with campaigns. Or check out opportunities in your admissions department, where they may need students to give campus tours or help answer questions at new student orientation programs.

Is computer science or information systems more your thing? Your school's computer labs and help desk may need support. Or perhaps an academic department on campus is seeking someone to help them build or upgrade a web site, database or program. Looking for experience in writing and editing? Maybe one of those same departments needs someone to help with developing content. Or perhaps the student newspaper pays for articles.

Science students may find part-time opportunities in labs. Those interested in teaching and those who have strong grades in a particular subject may find that there's a tutoring center on campus that will hire them on to assist other students with their studies. Many departments on campus may just need someone to assist with answering phones, greeting visitors, doing data entry or filing. The college library almost always needs student staff.

The possibilities are endless. As a college student myself years ago, I never got farther than the school's career center when looking for a part-time job. I went in to browse through their part-time job listings, spoke with a staff member and ended up getting hired on to accept and type up help wanted ads. It was the last thing I'd expected, but it helped me pay my way through school.

Finding an On-Campus Job

The opportunities are plentiful, so how do you go about finding the best on-campus job for you?

Pay a visit to your school's job placement office or career center. Most maintain a listing of part-time jobs available for students, including on-campus opportunities. Check out the advertisements in your campus newspaper or on bulletin boards in your main buildings. Find out if there are job postings on the college's web site. Ask the financial aid or scholarships office if they get information about part-time work from other offices on campus.

Be creative in your job search. If there's a particular department on campus you'd like to work for and they don't seem to be recruiting, pay them a visit anyway. Ask to arrange a meeting with a member of the management team to discuss possible opportunities. Be prepared to present a resume and talk about how you could contribute to the office. Be sure you've read the department's web site and know the basics of their operation before your visit.

Even if they don't have opportunities available, most campus administrators will be happy to speak with you. They'll be impressed by your initiative. They see part of their own job as helping students succeed, so they may provide valuable feedback on your job search techniques, keep you in mind for future opportunities, or refer you to a colleague they know is seeking part-time help.

Making the Most of Your On-Campus Job

Once you land an on-campus job, realize that it is much more than a paycheck. You've been given an opportunity to learn about the workplace, develop professional habits, and hone your skills.

Treat your on-campus job as you would any other. Report to work on time, do your best, and be involved. Talk regularly with your boss and other members of the staff. Ask questions. Observe what goes on in all areas of the operation. If your job is to answer the phones and do data entry, stay on top of your tasks. But listen to and learn about what others are doing. How is the department's web site maintained? Who manages the budget? How does the office fit into the rest of the university? What goes on when staff meet with students or other administrators?

When the opportunity to do so arises, offer to take on projects that make use of your interests and skills. Your boss or another staff member might welcome help writing a newsletter, updating a web site, contacting customers or organizing a major event. Make sure that when you ask to take on other responsibilities, you can complete them without letting your current tasks suffer.

For some, on-campus work is the paycheck that lets them pay rent and eat while working towards a degree. For others, it is a chance to dip a toe into the world of work, or a chance to get more involved in campus life.

My part-time work with my college's career center years ago was all of the above and then some. It paved the way to a full-time career in university administration. After graduation, another local college offered me a full-time job helping to place students in internships because I knew the ins and outs of how university placement offices worked. That job opened the door to a career that has involved advising students and developing technology systems to help others do the same. For others, experience gained in on-campus jobs has led to entry-level positions in the private sector.

College is a time for learning. Your part-time job should be one that helps you meet that goal.