Working in College

Paid opportunities for getting experience are also beneficial because they can support the attainment of your college goals, provide you with the financial means to complete college, and help you structure your time so that you are a much better time manager. Overextending yourself, however, can potentially interfere with your college success, your ability to attend class, your homework, and your participation in many other valuable parts of college life, such as group study or academic preparation. Take some time to determine how involved you are able to be, and stay within reasonable limits. If you want or need to work, explore on-campus opportunities as soon as you can after arriving at college. By working while in college, you can

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Your career center can tell you how to access your college’s online employment system. College employment systems generally channel all paid and unpaid opportunities into one database so that it is convenient for you to identify jobs you are looking for.

Many campuses also offer an on-campus job fair early in the fall term. Even if you might not be interested at the time, a visit to the job fair will give you a great idea of the range and type of jobs available. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn about the varied opportunities, such as working as a tutor for the writing or math center, fitness center attendant, or student ambassador for your admissions office or career center. Job fairs usually include off-campus community employers as well, in part because your institution must spend some of the work-study funds it receives in supporting off-campus work by students.

Holding a job while in college has many benefits; but be mindful of the hours spent working, particularly off-campus. Stated very simply, students who work more than fifteen hours a week especially off campus have a lower chance of success than students who work fewer hours. Many campus and off-campus options allow you to gain work experience and a little cash. For example:

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work-study award A form of federal financial aid that covers a portion of college costs in return for on-campus employment.

Paid work can support the attainment of your college goals, provide you with the financial means to complete college, and help you structure your time. Working too much, however, can interfere with your college success, your ability to attend class, your homework, and your participation in many other valuable college activities. Take time to determine how much you need to work and make decisions that contribute to your overall success.