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Tasneem
Student
Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
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Employment in College
What are good jobs to work at while being a student at college? Also, when do you recommend a student to begin working while studying?
#student-employment #international-student
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8 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1591
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
BENEFITS OF WORKING ON CAMPUS
On-campus jobs are often a great choice for students looking for a part-time job. As any college student knows, life is busy enough as it is, with classes, clubs, homework, exams and extracurricular activities. It can be difficult to balance school with a work schedule, and that balance is even harder to come by when you factor in the commute to and from work. Jobs on campus, therefore, tend to be a really good fit for college students. For one, on-campus employers tend to be more understanding about academic demands, and are used to accommodating staffing changes based on fluctuations in course load. In addition, you won't have to worry about scrambling from class in order to make it to work on time, and working on campus is a great way to meet new people. You’ll also make valuable connections with faculty and staff at your university. When you work on campus, you don’t have to worry too much about commuting to the office, which can be especially tricky when it comes to balancing homework, studying, and of course, class time. Also, working on campus can be a great way to meet new people and make valuable connections with your college’s faculty and staff. Many colleges have online databases where they list job openings for students. Some have a specific section dedicated to on-campus jobs. Make sure you take advantage of these listings.
Hope this was helpful Tasneem
TEACHING ASSISTANT – Most colleges and universities hire undergraduates or graduate students to work as teaching assistants, in fields as wide-ranging as journalism, mathematics, physics, and biology. If you’ve performed especially well in one class or have a relationship with a professor, inquire about the possibility to apply to be a teaching assistant. Although some TAs are required to host their own seminars or discussions for students enrolled in larger lectures, in other case, their responsibilities are limited to proctoring exams and grading papers.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT – Many departments recruit paid research assistants. Not all research is in hard science, though. You may be able to find a job doing background research for English, history, psychology or sociology. While not all research assistantships are paid hourly, many come with a stipend. Either way, a position like this also gives you research skills to strengthen your resume. While looking up research jobs, you might also find opportunities to participate in research studies, too. This can be a fun (and interesting!) way to make cash on the side.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – There's a ton of tasks to be done on a college campus: phone calls to be made, papers to be filed, emails to be answered, just to name a few. Many academic departments hire student administrative assistants at the beginning of each semester, so check in early to see if there's an open spot. You might also want to ask about job openings at your school's staff offices, like its career services, student services or registrar, human resources, or information technology center, for example.
TUTOR – If you're strong in a particular subject, why not tutor your peers to make some cash? If your university has an educational resource center, there may be a formal tutoring position you can apply for. Or, you can put up a flyer and advertise your services. Also, colleges with strong athletic programs usually recruit tutors to work with athletes. There are also many online tutoring jobs available, and most of these have flexible hours.
BARISTA – If you’re up for the hustle-and-bustle of a college café, consider working as a barista. Not only will you likely get your daily caffeine fix, for free—a clever way to save money, especially if you tend to spend $5 a day on a latte—but you’ll also get to know the “café” regulars and meet new people, too. In addition, the skills you'll learn as a barista, like making espresso drinks, working as a cashier, and counting change, for example, are easily translatable to other café and restaurant jobs that you might want to pursue post-graduation for extra cash.
On-campus jobs are often a great choice for students looking for a part-time job. As any college student knows, life is busy enough as it is, with classes, clubs, homework, exams and extracurricular activities. It can be difficult to balance school with a work schedule, and that balance is even harder to come by when you factor in the commute to and from work. Jobs on campus, therefore, tend to be a really good fit for college students. For one, on-campus employers tend to be more understanding about academic demands, and are used to accommodating staffing changes based on fluctuations in course load. In addition, you won't have to worry about scrambling from class in order to make it to work on time, and working on campus is a great way to meet new people. You’ll also make valuable connections with faculty and staff at your university. When you work on campus, you don’t have to worry too much about commuting to the office, which can be especially tricky when it comes to balancing homework, studying, and of course, class time. Also, working on campus can be a great way to meet new people and make valuable connections with your college’s faculty and staff. Many colleges have online databases where they list job openings for students. Some have a specific section dedicated to on-campus jobs. Make sure you take advantage of these listings.
Hope this was helpful Tasneem
Doc recommends the following next steps:
Yes John, thanks for your advice and for providing examples of college jobs!
Tasneem
Happy Job Hunting Tasneem. Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there. Make motivation a habit and you will get there more quickly and have more fun on the trip.
Doc Frick
Thanks again John! I am actually a very ambitious person full of hope and motivation! The advice and support keeps adding on to it and encourages me even more!
Tasneem
Thank You Katie. “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” — Helen Keller
Doc Frick
Gloria Ortiz
Instructional Designer
845
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
HI Tasneem,
I am not sure what your major will be in college. I would say that having a job in college can be a good idea. I would probably wait until you have finished at least your first semester of college, preferably the first full year. College is a much different experience than high school, much harder with much higher expectations of homework along with the classes. You should get used to that routine before you try to add a job to that. Working in college may be like having two jobs. As to the job, it depends. Can you get a job at your college? That can be very beneficial since those jobs can help offset what you are paying for school directly, at least that is how it works in the USA. Otherwise, I would try and find a job that will positively impact your future career goals. Try to use that job to get experience in skills that you will need for your dream job. For example, if you are going into education, maybe as a teacher, go into a job where you learn how to speak with people, maybe even speaking in front of large groups. My nephew worked for his school giving tours of the campus to new students. This would be an example of a job that benefits being a teacher. If you can't work on campus, you could work in retail or even a call center to learn how to talk with people. So focus on the skills that you will need and find them in your early jobs in college.
Gloria
I am not sure what your major will be in college. I would say that having a job in college can be a good idea. I would probably wait until you have finished at least your first semester of college, preferably the first full year. College is a much different experience than high school, much harder with much higher expectations of homework along with the classes. You should get used to that routine before you try to add a job to that. Working in college may be like having two jobs. As to the job, it depends. Can you get a job at your college? That can be very beneficial since those jobs can help offset what you are paying for school directly, at least that is how it works in the USA. Otherwise, I would try and find a job that will positively impact your future career goals. Try to use that job to get experience in skills that you will need for your dream job. For example, if you are going into education, maybe as a teacher, go into a job where you learn how to speak with people, maybe even speaking in front of large groups. My nephew worked for his school giving tours of the campus to new students. This would be an example of a job that benefits being a teacher. If you can't work on campus, you could work in retail or even a call center to learn how to talk with people. So focus on the skills that you will need and find them in your early jobs in college.
Gloria
Thanks a lot Gloria! Your answer was really helpful!
Tasneem
Ruth Huang
DEI Program Associate
3
Answers
Oregon, Oregon
Updated
Ruth’s Answer
Hi Tasneem,
Looks like you posted this question a couple of years ago - I hope you've found a suitable job during your time in college! Perhaps my comment will no longer be relevant since I'm late to the thread, so feel free to ignore. I notice you added the international-student tag to your question. If you are an international student studying at a US college on a F-1 visa, you will face limitations for the types of positions you can get while studying. Students on F-1 visas are only allowed to work on-campus up to 20 hrs/week - these can be paid positions. Another option for employment is getting CPT approval to work off-campus. For CPT, you'll need to work with your school's international student services office and ask your advisor to help you with this since they will need to access the US government's database for immigration/visa-related issues (SEVIS). It's very important that you find employment through the proper LEGAL channels as you do not want to jeopardize your international student status. Again, all this advice only applies if you are an international student studying on a visa in the US. I don't know how student employment works in other countries so you'll need to research those if you are outside of the US. Good luck!
Speak with your college's international student advisor
Apply to on-campus jobs
Looks like you posted this question a couple of years ago - I hope you've found a suitable job during your time in college! Perhaps my comment will no longer be relevant since I'm late to the thread, so feel free to ignore. I notice you added the international-student tag to your question. If you are an international student studying at a US college on a F-1 visa, you will face limitations for the types of positions you can get while studying. Students on F-1 visas are only allowed to work on-campus up to 20 hrs/week - these can be paid positions. Another option for employment is getting CPT approval to work off-campus. For CPT, you'll need to work with your school's international student services office and ask your advisor to help you with this since they will need to access the US government's database for immigration/visa-related issues (SEVIS). It's very important that you find employment through the proper LEGAL channels as you do not want to jeopardize your international student status. Again, all this advice only applies if you are an international student studying on a visa in the US. I don't know how student employment works in other countries so you'll need to research those if you are outside of the US. Good luck!
Ruth recommends the following next steps:
Thank you for the advice, Ruth.
Tasneem
Dr. James Zavala
Lieutenant Colonel
133
Answers
Lorton, Virginia
Updated
Dr. James’s Answer
While in college, you might find it difficult to find a paying job in your field. You might have to consider a non-paid internship. That will give you experience in your field as well as you making those valuable connections with those in your field which can benefit you down the road in finding a job. A good place to also find a job, so you can earn work experience, is at your college. There may be a job opening in the department of your study to do admin work or even work elsewhere in your college. I worked in my college and it was a great experience. I was given the opportunity to meet the college president and other directors. The college president got to know me very well. It was also great because I was already at school and didn't have to commute to another location to work.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Quick story about the college president: I was working and the college president walked in. Everyone got quiet. When he saw me, he called me by my first name and told me to walk with him to talk. We spoke for 10 minutes. When I returned, everyone was in shock and asked 'how does the president know you?'
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Quick story about the college president: I was working and the college president walked in. Everyone got quiet. When he saw me, he called me by my first name and told me to walk with him to talk. We spoke for 10 minutes. When I returned, everyone was in shock and asked 'how does the president know you?'
Thanks James for that answer, very helpful and interesting!
Tasneem
Viviana Rivera Torrico
Senior Performance Engineer
2
Answers
Mission Viejo, California
Updated
Viviana’s Answer
Working while in college is a great idea and what you do will depend on what is your goal. In my case, I was looking for experience in my engineering major. I started working on campus in the 3rd semester, I did my best to find a job in my own department and that helped me to get actual experience in my field. After working for a semester I requested to join the Research department as an assistant and that was a great opportunity. I would recommend that you start looking at your own department or reach out to your professors as they might know of open internships or will have you in mind when one opens.
Katie Nice
Corporate Philanthropy
8
Answers
San Jose, California
Updated
Katie’s Answer
Hi Tasneem!
I think it's a great idea to work in college. When you're first starting out, I don't think it matters too much what you do. It's just good to start getting some work experience. On-campus jobs are fun because you're working with other students, and it's very convenient. Even just working a few hours a week can be great.
College is the perfect time to work in jobs that sound fun to you, or to try out certain fields of interest without a lot of pressure. Don't worry too much about doing something directly tied to your major - that can come later with internships, etc. There are so many soft skills (customer service/ administration/ organization) that you learn in these jobs that will really stick with you your whole life.
Wishing you all the best!
Katie
I think it's a great idea to work in college. When you're first starting out, I don't think it matters too much what you do. It's just good to start getting some work experience. On-campus jobs are fun because you're working with other students, and it's very convenient. Even just working a few hours a week can be great.
College is the perfect time to work in jobs that sound fun to you, or to try out certain fields of interest without a lot of pressure. Don't worry too much about doing something directly tied to your major - that can come later with internships, etc. There are so many soft skills (customer service/ administration/ organization) that you learn in these jobs that will really stick with you your whole life.
Wishing you all the best!
Katie
Thank you, Katie!!
Tasneem
Sanober Charania
Registered Nurse (RN)
73
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Sanober’s Answer
Hi Tasneem!
Working in college is a great idea, but definitely requires a good handle on time management. I worked one day a week at a job on my campus for the beginning of my university journey and then transitioned to a job outside of school during my third year that fit with my career aspirations. I wouldn't stress about it too much, explore what options are available to students and see what sounds good to you.
Best of luck :)
Sanober
Working in college is a great idea, but definitely requires a good handle on time management. I worked one day a week at a job on my campus for the beginning of my university journey and then transitioned to a job outside of school during my third year that fit with my career aspirations. I wouldn't stress about it too much, explore what options are available to students and see what sounds good to you.
Best of luck :)
Sanober
Thanks a lot Sanober! Best of luck to you as well!
Tasneem
Faiyaz Khimani
Software Developer
5
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Faiyaz’s Answer
On campus jobs are very popular and also very beneficial as they will allow you to expand your network within your school. The downside to encamps jobs are that they are usually not the most high paying jobs but if you are able to score a job as Teaching assistant or tutor that would greatly help you when applying to internships compared to job at a restaurant.