This past April I was hired at East Carolina’s Recreation Center for the Adventure Leadership Program. At ALP we go on kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, hiking and even sky diving trips. We also handle boat rentals and work at the rock climbing wall in the recreation center. Along slide all of this we do leadership training for groups and organizations. Applying for an adventure leadership position was one of the best decisions I have made at my university. I have gained experience, relationships, and of course savings. My experience of having an on campus job has been wonderful. Here are some reasons why you should look into getting an on campus job as well.
1.) New Friends
I don’t know when it happened, but my coworkers became my best friends.Maybe it’s the countless hours we spent cleaning tents together, going on high adventurous excursions, or having an overall love for what we do and why we do it. Whatever the reason I am so glad to have them in my life. Two of my coworkers happened to be in my personality psychology class. Not only did I gain friends, but also study buddies and people who can help me be better successful in my college career.
2.) Schedules that work with your class
My boss is so good about working with our schedule.Since all of their employees are students they recognize that school comes first. At the last job I worked at it the boss could not see that I had a life outside of work. This made it harder for me to live up to the expectations of the work environment because my academics took precedent. If I have a test on Thursday I might message one of my coworkers and they are always eager to help me out, and of course make more money by picking up my shift.
3.) MOULA $$$
It is nice to have extra cash in my pocket that I earned myself. Well….. maybe not any extra cash because most of what I make goes to paying living expenses. Nonetheless, there is nothing like getting that first paycheck and seeing the work you did on a piece of paper.
4.) Experience
This was one of the first jobs I have ever had. I have learned so much about what it means to have a work environment. It has given me an understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses at work that I can translate into a career. Since my job is at the adventure center I also have been able to participate in many activities I may not have otherwise. Such as rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and camping. Look for an on campus job that really interests you and you may find it no longer feels like a job.
5.) Resume builders
I am defiantly going to put my on campus job on my resume. I plan on using my boss as a reference as well, because they know me as an employer first hand. Having a job has been much more responsibility than being a part of an organization for me, which I can talk about in interviews for potential jobs in the future.
6.) No transportation worries
I am currently on my third year living on campus. I fell in love with the simplicity of living on campus within the first week of school my freshman year. It is so nice that I can walk to work everyday rather than worrying about driving somewhere. Even if you do live off campus you could head over to work right after class. Having a job on campus is extremely convenient.
7.) Because its FUN
Anytime you put a group of college students in a room together they can make the most monotonous task seem like a party. Even though some of the work I do is not the most glorious of tasks we work really hard to make it enjoyable for us as well as fun for the other students we are serving.
Hope you enjoyed this!
Much Love,
Morgan Murray