Working while in college is a great way to make some money, build time management skills, and create connections that can serve you later in your career. But working during your studies brings its own unique set of challenges.
College is often a busy time, and certain jobs can be much more conducive to your schedule than others. Typically, on-campus jobs are tailored towards student schedules, and allow for flexibility around class schedules and exam timing. Read on to learn more about finding a job on-campus.
Why On Campus Jobs?
Often, on-campus jobs are the best options for students. They are typically tailored to fit into student lifestyles, and as such are more accommodating and understanding of your situation.
On-Campus Jobs Are Built for Student Schedules
Student schedules are anything but regular.
Different degrees will have vastly different class schedules, and your weekly schedule will look different day-to-day. As well, different times in the semester will be busier than others with assignments, tests, and exams all falling at different times.
Student jobs on-campus are typically understanding of this and built to accommodate your schedule. They are used to hiring students, and thus know how schedules can differ. As such, they’ll often be very flexible. They’ll allow shorter shifts (e.g. working 4 hours shifts instead of 8), offer flexibility in the week (e.g. allow you to work on a day when you don’t have much class), and are understanding of weeks where you need to pull back to focus on school.
As well, these jobs will often have a large roster of students that are working a few hours a week. This means that you can easily trade shifts with others when you have things come up.
Non-student jobs may not have the same understanding or accommodations and may expect more from you than you can offer with your student schedule.
Little to No Commute
Commuting can take a big chunk out of your day. But working on-campus means your commute is minimal.
With on-campus jobs, your place of employment is typically nearby to your classes, the library, and potentially where you’re living. You can often schedule shifts right before/after classes, as the two locations are nearby. This allows you to work in smaller windows than if you had a commute. As well, even if you have some time between a shift and a class, you can use that time to do some studying at the library.
Contrast that to a job that has a commute. You may need to spend 30+ minutes getting to work. This means that each day you work, you’re spending an hour commuting. This takes time out of your schedule and reduces the flexibility of shift timing. As well, due to the commute, it may force you to take longer shifts, which are tougher to fit into a student schedule.
On-campus jobs are a great way to cut down on your commute, and even encourage you to spend more time studying on campus.
Allow You to Do Schoolwork While on The Clock
Depending on the type of job you get, you may be able to do schoolwork while getting paid.
When I was in my undergrad, I had friends that worked jobs where they supervised a shared working space in the evenings. They had to keep an eye on the space to make sure no one was doing anything bad, but this was a relatively easy task and they were free to do other work while on the job.
It created an easy way to study for a few hours, while getting paid. There are many jobs like this that are available to students. Many clerk, reception, supervisory, etc. jobs will have a lot of downtime that are great for getting a bit of extra work done.
How to Find On-Campus Jobs
When searching for on-campus jobs, the three best places to look are your school’s employment center, your school’s job board, and talking to professors.
Use Your School’s Employment Center
Most colleges will have an employment center. They often offer services like resume reviews, and helping students get jobs after grad.
But they also often will be a hub for on-campus employment. They typically have a listing of job offered either by the school or by local businesses who are looking specifically for student employees. They can also help you get in contact with potential hiring managers.
If you haven’t already visited, your school’s employment center is a great place to start.
Check Out Your School’s Job Board
Typically, colleges will have an internal job board.
This job board will have summer jobs and post-graduation opportunities, but they’ll often have postings for on-campus jobs for current students. This job board is often managed by your school’s employment center, so they may even point you there.
This is a great way to find potential on-campus jobs.
Speak to Your Professors
Often, professors are looking for help with their research or courses they’re delivering.
Many professors can use a helping hand in their research, and a current or former student will have a great foundation of knowledge to be a valuable employee. This type of opportunity also looks great on a resume, as it displays interest in your field of study.
As well, there are jobs related to the courses professors are teaching. For example, I worked as a teaching assistant for a few courses. This was a great option for a job that was applicable to my degree, and these positions are conducive to student schedules.
Don’t be afraid to approach a professor to ask for work, particularly if you did well in their class.
Other Jobs for Students
Not all student jobs will be offered through your college, and there are other places where you can find jobs that work for students.
Local Businesses
College campuses are often surrounded by businesses that serve the student population. These could be restaurants or cafes, local shops, or other services.
These local businesses are typically close to campus, reducing your commute. As well, because they’re close to campus, a lot of their employees will be students. This means these jobs are often relatively conducive to student schedules. They may not be as good as on-campus jobs but can often come pretty close.
Visiting local businesses with a resume in hand is a great way to find a job on or close to campus.
Online Work
There is often online work that can be conducive for students. This is not on-campus per-say but does allow you to work from anywhere. This type of work leverages your skills and allows you for a lot of flexibility.
For example, my sister worked as a tutor for both high-school students and college students in the years below her. This allowed her to leverage her existing knowledge and work flexibly. As well, due to the specialization of tutoring, the pay is often much higher than minimum wage.
Another option is free-lance work, leveraging your existing skills. This could be writing, website design, video editing, or anything else. Similar to tutoring, this allows a lot of flexibility and will typically pay pretty well.
It’s worthwhile to consider what skills you can develop and use to make some money on the side.
Things to Look Out For
Though there are some great options for student employment, there are also a few things to watch out for.
First thing to watch out for is jobs that demand too much. Just because a business is on or close to campus, they may not be accommodating to a student’s schedule. They may demand you work too many hours and may be inflexible in reducing work during exam seasons. Be sure you are very upfront about your available time, and don’t be afraid to walk away from a job if it’s not working with your life.
The other thing to look out for is scams. There have been reports of fake emails targeting students that are looking for jobs, which could end up costing you money. Beware of anything that looks too good to be true, or unsolicited emails from senders you don’t expect.
Ultimately, there a lot of great opportunities for student employment, but it’s important you know what to look for.
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