As a freshman in college, the last thing I wanted to do was get a job and have to work while also navigating a significant change in my life. The transition from high school and living at home to a college and living far away from my parents is a big adjustment. However, as a very broke college student who is trying to minimize the amount of money in loans I need to take out, I had to get a job during the first semester of freshman year. If you’re thinking about working on campus, I am here to tell you the good, the bad, and all of the ugly that comes with it.
As much as I like to complain about working on campus, there are definitely some benefits to it, especially at UMass Amherst. First of all, it was the easiest hiring process that I have ever experienced, all I had to do was email the supervisor for the department I wanted to work at, and boom they hired me. I work at UMass’s retail dining location, also known as Blue Wall, and they pay me more than I made as a lifeguard last summer. The great thing about working on campus is that it is a short walk from my dorm to my job. I don’t have to worry about a bus, or driving my car somewhere far, I simply walk a short ten minutes across campus. Working on campus also gives me more flexibility with my work schedule, they know that we are students so they let us pick our hours based on when we have availability between, after, or before classes. I’m not pressured to work times or days that I really don’t want to work, unlike at other jobs I have had before. I also work with mostly other students, so I have been given even more opportunities to make friends and connections with students who need to work during the semester like me.
The list of pros doesn’t last long when it comes to working on campus, unfortunately. The first semester, I did pretty well with managing my classes and work schedule, but for the spring semester, I am taking a lot more credits. It doesn’t matter if you are working on campus or off campus, if your schedule is too full, it can be difficult to keep up with school work and social life while having a job on top of that. This semester has definitely been more stressful with having to manage five classes, clubs, my social life, and a job. I would recommend that if you need to have a job during the semester, to lighten the workload when it comes to classes or work fewer hours, as to prevent burnout.
The other downside of working on campus, or even working in general during the semester, is that I feel like I’m the odd one out. This may not be as true for students who are juniors or seniors, but as a freshman none of my other friends have jobs. It can feel a little bit isolating when I am invited to something but I have to say “Oh sorry I have work”, everyone always acts so shocked when they find out I have a job on campus. Although it can feel kind of sucky, having a job when others don’t have to during the semester, I try to remind myself that I am not the only one who has a job on campus and that having a job means I will have less debt after I graduate. So, eight hours of working during the week now is worth saving thousands in loans in the future.
Working on campus has its ups and its downs, but overall I think that it is a good option for students who need a little extra money to get them through the semester or to pay for their tuition. Plenty of students work on campus, so if you ever feel like you are alone in this, you aren’t. I would say that if you don’t need to work during the semester, especially freshman year, then don’t. I do wish that I didn’t have to work in my first year of college, but at the end of the day, it really isn’t that bad. I hope this article helps anyone who is considering working on campus!
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