Where to Work While Attending College

Students who work while attending college become experts at managing time and money and take their college education more seriously. They also gain valuable work skills. The kind of job depends on your student and his schedule and financial needs, but the hours shouldn’t stretch beyond about 16 hours per week. College students already have a full-time job as a college student, so adding more than 16 hours of additional work during the week is usually detrimental to academic success.

On Campus Jobs

I really prefer to see students in on-campus jobs for a number of reasons. First of all, the commute is extremely easy. If your child can find a job in his residence hall as a front desk clerk or food service worker, his commute may not even take him out of the building. Secondly, on campus jobs usually offer very flexible hours that fit easily into students’ schedules. Faculty and staff recognize and appreciate that students will place their academics first and their job second, and are usually willing to work around class schedules.

Finally, on-campus jobs are usually easy enough to find if your child isn’t too picky. The two departments on campus that always seem to be hiring are food services and custodial or housekeeping. While I know these jobs aren’t for everyone, they usually offer the most flexible schedules and it is common for food service jobs to offer students free or discounted meals, a definite bonus when you’re watching a budget.

Off Campus Jobs

Most college towns have a lot of service jobs readily available for students and while they may offer higher pay than on-campus jobs, it will be incumbent on the student to continually remind his off-campus supervisor that he is a student first and an employee second. Some off campus jobs will offer students unique opportunities in their field of study.

If your child can find such a job it is ideal, but even if he can’t, any job experience is a plus for a future job search. Upon graduation, employers will want to see a prospective employee who has a proven record of experience in the work world regardless of where that experience was gained.

Become an Entrepreneur

Some students don’t want to worry about a set schedule or punching in and out on a regular basis. If your child is looking for an extremely flexible way to earn money, he may consider working for a temp agency or becoming an entrepreneur. Students can earn extra money by starting their own businesses such as offering pick-up and drop off laundry services for other students, pet or house sitting, dog walking, web site development, photography, foreign language practice partner or other tutoring, care package assembly and delivery, you name it!

Work Study

Work Study is a program administered through the Department of Education that provides a win-win scenario for students and employers. Students who are eligible for work -study (this will be included in the student’s financial aid award letter) can work at approved work-study jobs on and off campus and keep the money they earn for their educational expenses. In exchange for hiring work-study eligible students, employers receive a subsidy to defray the cost of employing the eligible student.³¹

Many campus offices will try to hire work-study eligible employees before they open jobs for others to apply. So, if your child is eligible for work study make sure that he applies for these jobs early, even before arriving on campus. 

Financial Issues

Living expenses on a college campus can range from cheap to way too darn much. Some parents will call me in a panic after receiving the first bill and explain that it is much more than they expected. Upon further discussion and examination it is usually due to the student’s choice, or last minute change, in residence hall and/or meal plan.

My campus is a good example of how this can happen. Students can choose anything from a $394.00 per month traditional hall to a $700.00 per month furnished apartment complete with washer, dryer and a full kitchen. The additional $2754.00 per year is obviously going to be noticed and cut deeply into savings or your budget. 

Before your child sets foot on campus, be completely honest with him about what you can afford and if he wants more than what you can provide he will have to earn the money for the more expensive housing himself. It won’t take him long to discover that the suite or apartment may be newer and more spacious, but not worth the additional 15 hours he has to work each week to afford it.  

Explain that the money you saved for his education, your retirement or the mortgage you paid on your home for the past twenty years did not magically appear overnight, but was accumulated over many years through planning, sacrifice, and steady saving. College students know this truth, but when you have lived a mere 18 years and only remember about 14 of those years, you don’t have the necessary life experience to fully understand the concept of delayed gratification.

* Some responsibilities and expenses will fall into parents’ laps for many years to come, even beyond graduation. Some people see this as an over-extension of adolescence, but there are practical reasons for parents to do these things. First and foremost, it’s cheaper. Even though your child is an adult, it is usually more cost effective to buy his health insurance for him through your employer if it is offered, and to include him on your cell phone family plan (our family plan currently covers three generations and six devices!)

Living on Campus

Many colleges require freshmen to live on campus and while your child may think he’s ready to move into his own apartment there are very sound reasons for most students to live on campus for at least their first year.

1.              There is no better way to get to know people than to shower with them.  Of course, not all residence halls offer the traditional bunk bed, shower down the hall experience, but in general, living in close quarters with a number of diverse students is the best way to get to know people quickly and to build lasting friendships.

2.              On-campus housing is convenient for everything that students need; food services, academic buildings, health clinic, library, and activity venues. On all but the largest campuses, living on campus means an easy walk or bike ride to wherever students need to go, while living off campus may mean that students need to drive to campus and search for the ever elusive open parking space.

3.              Living in a residence hall is generally safer than an apartment. It is rare that an apartment building manager will be very concerned about a student who is acting depressed or whether or not they have staff available to immediately fix door locks or smoke detectors. Residence halls offer safe, convenient housing even if it is not the most well appointed.

4.              All-inclusive pricing. While some apartment complexes offer per-person leases and all bills paid, most do not, so students are left to set up their own utilities, cable, internet etc. and then charge their roommates for their portion of the bill. If all the roommates pay their share everything is fine, if they don’t and the service is in your child’s name, he will be liable for the entire bill.

5.              Resident Assistants (RAs), upper class students who work in the halls helping new students adjust, and taking care of property management issues, are great resources for your student. RAs are not just there to discipline students for loud parties, a good portion of what they do is build community through programming and activities. In addition to RAs, campuses also have full time residence hall staff members, usually called Resident Directors (RDs) to help students with everything from academics to social problems.  

The Top 10 Things for Parents to Pack For Move-in Day

1. Patience – When asked about their least favorite things to do, most people would probably include moving on a list along with filing taxes and oral surgery. Let’s face it, moving is hard and at most college campuses this rite of passage takes place in the sweltering heat of summer. Plan ahead to allow plenty of time to move and complete anything else you and your child need to take care of on campus. It’s also a good idea to confirm the hours of various offices you may need to visit on campus during move-in day.

2. A sense of humor – Nothing diffuses tense situations like a good sense of humor. When you consider that this is just one day, although an important one, in your entire life it will be easier to see the humor in a stuck elevator or the bottom falling out of a fully packed box. In the years to come, you will most likely remember these mishaps with a smile.

3. A calm and open mind – Roommates with purple hair and piercings can still be great roommates. Don’t jump to conclusions about roommates or anyone else for that matter. If the paint is peeling in your child’s dorm room, make sure he notices it and records it on the room check-in form, hang a poster over it and appreciate the fact that the room is safe and conveniently located. He can probably arrange to repaint the room later.

4. Water and snacks – This should be similar to a picnic lunch, enough for everyone to have a decent meal if needed. Even if the food services are open on campus, lines may be long. If you end up not needing the food, you can always enjoy it as a snack on the way home.

5. Prescriptions and over-the-counter medications - Don’t skip any regular medications and bring your prescriptions with you. Moving may take longer than you expect and you might be ready for your next dose before you realize it. Also bring; Band-Aids, over-the-counter medications for various ailments such as headache, motion sickness, stomach upset etcetera.

6. Books or ebook readers, phones, and plenty of chargers- If you end up having to wait an hour to unload or need to kill some time in between moving in and another program it helps to be able escape into a good book, a game, or your favorite music. Use breaks as a time to relax.

7. Comfortable clothing and shoes, and maybe a change of clothes- A change of clothes might not be necessary, but it can’t hurt either. You will sweat and may get dirty while moving.

8. Cash, change, checkbook and debit/credit cards- There’s always a miscellaneous fee that pops up or maybe your younger child wants a college t-shirt. You don’t have to say yes, but be prepared in case you want to.

9. Pertinent paperwork from the college - Including campus maps or at least the emails your child received about move-in day and events.

10. An extra set of car keys - I can’t tell you how many times people have locked both sets of keys in the car. Like I said, move-in day is crazy, but it’s okay, you packed your sense of humor!