We’ve all been told about the high competition in the job market we’ll face once we graduate. In today’s world, just having a degree is not enough to make you a top candidate for an employer. So, it is surprising that many students won’t even consider taking a job while in college; either they believe they will be too stressed, that it isn’t necessary, or available jobs such as in the retail and food industry are beneath them. Contrary to this belief, having a job right now—even simply as a waitress or a cashier—can provide some essential experience for a future career. Many of your local baristas, sales associates, and food vendors are students in the same academic boat as you, and right now they have the advantage in the future competition for an established career. Still not convinced? Here are five essential skills for the future than you can gain from working a job now, no matter the location.
1) Time management: Since when has “student” been an occupation? Any college student knows that despite the workload, you still have a lot of spare time you probably don’t spend entirely on studying. Once you’ve learned to master the art of working and being a full-time student, you will discover what it actually means to be busy, stressed, and more importantly, how to truly manage your time. If you’re not working, you have no right to complain about your stress level when there are many students doing the same courseload as you plus a job (or two, or three…). Even if you’re only working 8-10 hours a week, you’ll quickly learn how to prioritize and cherish your time better, and still have hours to spare. By utilizing your time to your full potential, you’ll be better prepared for the future.
2) Customer service/communication skills: Nothing makes you change your attitude towards the service industry more than working in it. After that, you’ll always tip, be polite, and address workers as equals; some are students just like you! You learn some powerful teamworking skills and how to cope with some not so passive and cooperative customers. It may not sound fun, but it does teach you some valuable techniques on how to work with others, skills that will prove useful throughout your life. Remember, it sucks now, but you’re not going to be stuck doing this job forever! Your hard work will pay off in a number of ways.
3) Taking constructive criticism: Sometimes in the workplace, you’ll have the joyous experience of a big, scary boss screaming at you. Maybe it isn’t the most polite or psychologically pleasing event, but in most jobs (no matter what field) you’re going to have some kind of manager that won’t hesitate to tell you you’re wrong and give you a hard time. But don’t take this opportunity to cry in the bathroom—learn from it. The more people that yell at you, the easier it gets to take, and the more efficiently you learn from that scolding, and how to work from it. A lot of upper management sucks, but the stronger you grow, the more you’ll excel and move up in the workplace. Just take a deep breath!
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4) Money management: Woo, paycheck! One week later: Where’d all that money go? In college, you really start to realize how much money matters when you’ve got groceries to buy, rent to pay, fun weekends to be enjoyed, and eventually, scary loans to pay off. If you’ve been fortunate enough to have a parent or relative pay for all of that, lucky you, but you’re not learning much and they’re not going to support you forever. If you have little experience earning income, saving money, and practicing appropriate spending, by the time you’re out of college you’ll be in serious trouble. Also, you’ll discover that nothing feels more satisfying than buying a new dress or pair of shoes with your own, hard-earned money.
5) FUTURE EMPLOYMENT: If you graduate college with little or no work experience, even in a place that is mundane and unrelated, you will not have the upper hand during hiring. You are competing for a future career against thousands of other candidates, and if your only resume builders are academic, employers are seriously going to ask what you did with all of your spare time. Summer stints and babysitting is one thing, but showing that you can handle a job while in school speaks volumes, and prepares you far more for future workloads. Even something as simple as working retail or a café job teaches you a lot about working with others and the real world, and employers notice that.
So, think about it. A lot more people work on and off campus than you think, and those are the people you will be competing with in the future—the baristas, the Qdoba cashier, the front desk clerk, the sales associates—because they have the experience that counts. They’re working, studying, and succeeding; it isn’t so impossible, and it’s better to master sooner rather than later. So take a chance, challenge yourself, and a get a job. There are several locations on and nearby campus, and you can use UO career center online to apply from home. What are you waiting for?