During college, students benefit from being part of a supportive community, and a well-designed work experience on campus can provide this. Work experience on campus not only ensures an excellent academic foundation but has proven to be a convenient means to earn extra money, make professional contacts, and improve your professional skills. The best student job depends on your interests, skills, and schedule flexibility. Some popular options include tutoring, working at a campus library or bookstore, being a research assistant, or freelancing in areas like graphic design or writing. Ultimately, it’s about finding something that aligns with your goals and allows you to balance work and study commitments.

No matter what area the job is in, so long as it is designed to provide experience in timeliness, teamwork, responsibility, and accountability, and so long as the supervisor aligns the student’s job to the campus mission to ensure contribution and watches out for them as people, it will be a valuable experience.

When searching for a job, you might find yourself prioritizing specific criteria over others, and that’s perfectly fine; however, more often than not, students tend to gravitate towards one of the following considerations as they explore potential job opportunities:

  • Looking for jobs that are formulated to be akin to internships. These will help you grow as an individual and to get deep experience in a particular field.
  • Looking for jobs that are framed around helping others, including peers. Examples include working as a tutor, peer counselor, resident assistant, or staff at a campus food pantry, gym, or resource center. These jobs can provide a source of pride and accomplishment to carry you through personal challenges.
  • Looking for jobs that help build skills that will complement your studies. Examples include working in the library, in IT, in a lab, at a performing arts center, or as a research assistant. These will help you see how different aspects of your academic work fit together.
  • Looking for jobs that will give you time in a different environment than your studies. This can help you feel more of a sense of balance in your life.

Certainly, many factors make a campus job great — and many jobs that will offer something valuable to you, the alert student.

MICHELLE ARANDIA
UNITED STATES | MAJORS: BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN; ON-CAMPUS JOB: Beat Biking Instructor

 

“I do like working for the university, but not necessarily because it’s for the university, but because of what I do, beat biking classes, which is something I would do even if it weren’t my job; it’s something I generally enjoy. So, if I like working at the university, it’s because I generally enjoy the work. I work for the recreational sports office, which oversees what is considered the university gym and all sorts of sports activities. I have a boss named Kaitlin, whom I directly report to; she handles everything related to group fitness. I teach at least twice a week, sometimes more, and they are 45-minute beat biking classes. I’ve been working there since I got certified, starting in August 2002, finishing the certification in December 2022, and formally starting work in January, so it’s been almost six months. Initially, my job was reduced to mentorship, where I taught half the class, and my boss, Kaitlin, taught the other half. Eventually, they let me teach the whole class when it showed I was more than ready; it was then that I got to introduce myself to the whole class. Technically, my job requires teaching for 45 minutes, but in reality, I spend about half an hour creating the music playlist and at least 15 to 20 minutes – some days even almost half an hour – practicing it in my head. Many people do the whole class on the bike before teaching, but honestly, I used to do that when I started, but not anymore. So technically, it amounts to about 45 minutes to an hour of preparation and 45 minutes of teaching the class. Also, I have to attend a monthly meeting where they discuss risk management and safety positions that may be necessary in case of emergencies. What if there’s a tornado? What if someone unknown enters the building without an authorization? Etc. That’s training that, well, you need to have. Oh yes, I have to get up early. But that’s voluntary. I mean, I choose my schedule at the beginning of the semester, and it remains fixed for the whole semester. I chose to teach the class at 7:00 a.m., so I have to wake up at 5:30 because I give myself half an hour to practice the playlist in my head, half an hour to get ready, and it takes me 15 minutes to walk to the gym, so I arrive 15 minutes before class. What I like most about my job is the exercise itself; I really enjoy it. And more than that, I like that the exercise I do with the class usually makes these people feel good momentarily and also in the long run. It is also really satisfying when I learn, through my friends, that people want to go to bed early because they’re looking forward to my class, or when they come and thank me; it is then that I realize that I’m having a positive effect on people, it’s like, wow! Yes, I’m paid well. I mean, they pay me almost twice what I was paid back home in Mexico. Actually, getting paid is like the cherry on top because I genuinely like getting up at 7:00, teaching class, and seeing the ten people who always come. After all, they genuinely enjoy it. I mean, it’s unbeatable.”

LIA DE VALENZUELA
UNITED STATES | MAJORS: PSYCHOLOGY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS; ON-CAMPUS JOBS: Research Assistant and International Admissions Intern

 

“I love the work-study balance that working for the university allows for, especially since they pay really well, like $15 per hour. I like it when remote, although sometimes I need more motivation. But when I do feel motivated, it’s excellent. I think desk jobs are great opportunities, which also seem rare in real life. In my case, I work for international admissions. It’s a pretty crazy job, essentially helping with online panels and admitted student days – although there are only two per year. So, when those days do come, my job requires me to take that weekend to assist new international students and create panels for parents, but it’s super low commitment. I also do research with a professor, and this job is more consistent. It takes about five hours a week, and they pay me more. My job involves a lot of communication with the professor, learning to be respectful through email when I need to remind him about scheduled meetings and events or when I need to ask him a specific question. It’s a lot of email communication that I didn’t realize was part of the job initially. I also have a lot of motivation to choose to work over studying or resting, which is hard. It also involves less interaction with students than I initially thought. It takes a lot of willpower. It’s not something I can do for more than an hour at a stretch, but at the same time, since it’s remote, I can do it wherever and whenever I want. And I really like it. It also involves someone mentoring me, which makes it more motivating, knowing that it’s group work and not just me alone. This creates a lot of responsibility on both sides, not to let the other person down or burden them with your share of the work.”

 One final question may have stuck in your mind: What should I consider when considering an on-campus job? That’s the big question.

1.Carefully review your qualifications

Ensure you are qualified to deal with grounds as a global understudy. Ordinarily, F-1 visa holders are permitted to chip away at grounds for as long as 20 hours of the week during the scholastic year. Thus, you may work under certain circumstances after receiving employment authorization.

2.Resume and Cover Letter Planning

Make a well-organized resume that features your abilities, encounters, and pertinent capabilities. You may also require a cover letter expressing your advantage in the position and how you can contribute to the grounds’ local area.

3. Investigate Open positions

 Most colleges have an up-to-date site that lists employment opportunities. You can likewise check college announcement sheets, offices, and occupation fairs for accessible positions. Regular nearby positions incorporate library partners, research aides, grounds local escorts, and clerical specialists, and that’s just the beginning.

4.Associate with Teachers and Divisions

 Now and then, teachers or academic divisions offer job opportunities for understudies. Connect with your teachers or scholastic consultants to ask about accessible positions.

5.Visit the University’s Career Development centers

 Your college’s Center for Career Development can be a fantastic asset. They can assist you with pursuing employment systems, resume and cover letter surveys, and interview arrangements—the sky’s the limit from there.

6.Apply Ahead of schedule

 Nearby local job opportunities can peak rapidly, particularly toward the start of the semester. Apply as soon as possible to increase your chances of getting a position.

7.Get Important Records

When you secure a bid for employment, you’ll have to get a Social Security Number (SSN) if you don’t, as of now, if you don´t already have one. Your college’s understudy office should be able to direct you through this cycle, typically providing instructions via email, flyers, or their website.

 

By Mariana Tcherassi