I have noticed that tons of businesses, especially in college towns, not only hire college students but work with their schedules very well. Most job applications will ask you for your hours of availibility. This is where you need to learn to balance your time. If you have any night classes dont try to work before them, that would be a good night to say you cant work period. Make sure you always allow yourself time to study, dont get out of classes at 3 and say you can work from 330 to 12. You need homework/study time, and you dont want to overload yourself. Maybe work one or two nights a week and then stick to weekends. Maybe even get Sunday nights off so you have that time for your weekend homework. The thing about most of us college kids is, even if we do have enough homework to last us a whole day, we arent likely going to actually sit down and do it in one day.
College kids want lives like any of the rest of us, and sometimes the anti-job argument is that they wont have time to go do things with friends. I would argue that if you actually want to go do anything while you are with your friends you will probably need some money. Now, getting a part-time job and working 12 hours a week isnt going to make you rich, but you will definitely have some cash to spend on things like food and gas.
When applying for a job, just make sure you tel them that you are a full time student first thing, they will know that your schedule will require some flexibility. Not everyone can handle the stress of being a student and working, so if it gets to be too much, or your school work starts to suffer, you may just have to quit because youneed to focus on your studies. Always remember you are a student before anything, so make your schoolwork your first priority. It is also smart to take finals week off of work, you will be plenty stressed already and will need every spare minute to study.
It is possible to be a full-time student and have a part-time job at the same time, but it takes a very determined person who is good at time managment. A lot of employers will uderstand your schedule if you just talk to them, and they are probably used to having college kids that only work during the school year. Havings a job in college also boosts your resume.
Another option and amybe the best is an on campus job, no one will work with your school schedule better than the school itself. Colleges usually hire students to do a variety of things like be campus tour guides, or work as desk assistants in the offices.
Here is a great website with some job suggestions for students, feel free to check it out!
http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2010/12/13/10-paying-college-jobs-that-look-good-on-your-rsum
Good Luck!
You might consider conducting a few Q&A's with fellow students who work. You can list pros and cons of working different places. What kinds of places offer the most flexibility? You could name specific businesses, but it might be better to talk in more general terms. Common college jobs include restaurants, retail, banks, grocery stores, gas stations and perhaps even fast food.
ReplyDeleteYou could also do a quick informal interview with a manager at a college-friendly working place to get some advice. Just my thoughts as I read your blog.
I can completely relate to this post! Being a full-time student makes having a job very difficult, because being a student is a job on its own. I have a job here on campus at the Mabee Library as a tutor for the Writing Center. The good thing about my job is I get to help out students with their own homework, while taking time to do my own on the job. Having an on campus job is very nice, especially because I can walk to work and not have to hop in my car and deal with making it on time with traffic.
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ReplyDeleteI think your blog is quite professional and informative. I like the changes you've made to the blog's layout. I like that you keep it fun and down-to-earth, but professional.
ReplyDeleteCurious to see what you'll write about next.
~Zoe.