Campus Jobs are a Good Idea

Making money in college is often a concern for college students. For one thing, they may want to go with friends to buy pizza some time, and having their own source of income relieves the pressure of not being able to head to Chipotle occasionally. At the same time, having that job gives them autonomy and they don’t have to ask their family members to money, nor dig as deeply in their summer employment savings. Many parents, however, are worried about the students working while in college.

Campus versus Outside Employment

I understand the concern about working while in college. The last community college at which OI worked noted that students were working upwards of 30 hours a week in some cases, and there’s little doubt that working so many hours has a negative impact on graduation ate and academic performance. Students often overestimate their ability to work while in college, probably because they’re in classes for so little time. This article from the Hechinger Report points out some of the pitfalls of working while in college. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Students will find that working on campus is usually a much better deal than working outside jobs. This article by US News backs this up. Campus employers are also much more likely to be flexible with students, who may ask for days off to study for exams or when they’re heading into a challenging time academically. Employers at the local pizza shop might not be as accommodating, which puts additional pressure on students to say nothing of the higher likelihood of a heavier work schedule at outside employers as opposed to campus employers.

Benefits of Campus Employment

Beyond the obvious benefit of given students a source of income, campus employment provides other benefits. Student success in college depends on lots of things, and one of the major factors helping students succeed is that they have a connection or connections with people on campus. These connections can be with a faculty member, their academic advisor, or other staff members. Many students find that connection with their student employment supervisor, and for that reason alone, working on campus provides students with mentoring they might not receive otherwise. Having a campus job also helps students with taking control of their time, since they have to set up their schedule to include their work hours. It’s also rare that a student will be ale to work more than 15 hours per week, and they frequently work fewer hours. This keeps the number of ours manageable and increases their chance of academic success while being employed.

Work Study and Regular Employment

There’s no question that at many schools, many campus jobs are reserved for students with work-study. This is because the federal government provides some of the funds for work-study, so the cost for the employing department is lower. Campus employing eligibly is also awarded to students in the form of financial aid, so those students need the opportunity to get jobs before anyone else. Fortunately, some departments still hire students who don’t have work-study. This article from The Balance Careers lists specific jobs that are good for students, and many of them, such as being a barista (campus only, of course!), Campus Tour Guide, tutor, or food service are often available for students who don’t have work-study. It takes a but of searching, but students can find campus positions if they’re persistent, and it often works out to be a win/ win for the employer and for the student.

Pizza money secured!