Are you looking for the best jobs in college? It’s hard to say which one is the best job in college, but it is clear that having a job in college has its benefits as I discussed last week . What are the job opportunities available to college students? What do certain jobs offer to college students? These are all questions that college students have. I’m here to help change that.
Instead of just listing the numerous jobs available to college students, I figured it would be more helpful to do a series about the different jobs in college and their benefits. Essentially, what’s out there and how it might be the best fit for certain college students. Finding the right job before graduation from college can make a huge difference when it comes to being successful in your career. This week, I am going to focus on on-campus office jobs.
On-campus Office Job – The Benefits
If you are starting to look for a job in college, one of the easiest jobs to obtain would be an office job on campus. There are a variety of different offices that you can work in while in college. These include: admissions, registrar’s office, residential life, dean’s office, IT department, etc. I have worked as a staff member on a college campus for several years and I know that most offices on campus hire students to work in their offices.
There area wide list of benefits for students who work on campus. The benefits include the following:
- Typically flexible hours (around your class schedule)
- Basic administrative experience (filing, organization, answering telephones, etc.)
- Potential for advancement: either a full-time position in that office or elsewhere on campus (once you get your foot in the door, options are almost endless)
While it can be a great job for the right individual, it isn’t without it’s downfalls. Working in an office can be monotonous, repetitive, and even stressful. The other thing that you need to consider is that many of the jobs are work study, which means minimum wage. If you can perform administrative tasks well, it might not be the right fit. Finding out which of the jobs in college you prefer now will save you the headache of a major career change later.
How to get an On-Campus Job in College
If this is the job that you are most interested in, you may be wondering how to get that job while you are in college. From my years of experience, the easiest way to land an office job on campus is to present yourself to the office manager early on. Some students wait a couple weeks in the semester and will finally realize that they need a job. Unfortunately for them, it is way too late. At this point, most of the positions are already filled if not in the final rounds of interviews. There’s no chance that you are getting an on-campus office job if you wait too long.
Other things that you will want to do is to look professional and be attentive. If the office manager emails you, every small thing helps your case. Make sure to reply with proper grammar and in a timely manner. You don’t have to check your email every few minutes, but an email within 1-2 business days is acceptable.
Lastly, it is most important to express your willingness to learn. If you come across as someone who already knows what they are doing, the office manager will presume that you aren’t willing to do things their way. This will only hurt your chances of being hired.
Preferred Choice of the Many Jobs in College?
Considering this is the first week of a detailed option of the many jobs in college, you may not know which job you prefer most. While finding the best fit might not be a priority at first (because you just need the money), it can be important.
What do you like about on-campus jobs? If you already graduated from college, did you have a job in a office on campus? Did it help you prepare for your career?
I had an on-campus and off-campus job! I loved the on-campus job’s options for networking and socializing, so I guess it did in some way help with my future career.
I like the new logo, BTW!
I never had an on-campus job as an undergraduate (mine were off-campus) but my husband and several friends did. For office jobs, though, a lot of those were reserved for work-study students and were hard to come by. My friends who worked in those jobs loved them, particularly the admissions and housing offices…it allowed them to be a little nosy. Who doesn’t love getting paid to be nosy?
I had an on-campus job when I was an undergrad – I was a writing tutor and loved it. Then in grad school, I got another on-campus job as an academic peer counselor which I loved also. Neither actually helped me in my career but I had a lot of fun in both positions, plus there was no commute 🙂
Also in grad school, I was a TA which paid my tuition and gave me a stipend. Another great job!
My best job in college was a TAship. It wasn’t that difficult and the tuition deduction really helped tremendously.
I am applying to get a job at the desk in our Athletic Complex next year. I like what The Happy Homeowner said about it being a great chance to network, I would be able to interact with likeminded individuals that like being active while getting paid.
The appeal of this job is mostly that they would be extra prescient about my need for flexible hours and it would be the shortest distance away, I could walk there immediately after class.
I never had an on campus job but I can see how it would have some nice benefits as well as drawbacks.
I ROCKED the on-campus job by working in the student loan department, which shared an office with the financial aid department. On-campus jobs don’t usually pay great (or at least didn’t in my day) compared to my night gig of bartending (or even delivering pizzas) but I quickly made friends with my financial aid advisor. Once we were friendly I asked how I could get more university grants. She literally told me the max available and showed me the data and then upped my grant to the max. I don’t remember the exact numbers but it essentially paid half tuition after the first year.
I’m a big “work during college” guy for sure.
I worked many on campus jobs in my time during college. They have pros and cons. I loved some of my on campus jobs (especially working in the library) and others of them were less than fun. For example, when I lived in the residence hall and worked there, I had to enforce the rules and sometimes against people who were my friends and sometimes doing that can be tricky. So it depends a lot on your personality I think.