College: it’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times. It’s also one of the most expensive times. In our young lives, with food costs, transportation, books and credits piling on, the charges seem to be almost insurmountable. About 57% of people have college debt, and this number is only rising. Getting a job as a college student offers a plethora of benefits besides just earning some extra income to offset some of the expenses. You have the opportunity to earn experience in a field that interests you, it adds to your resume, and in all honesty, will build character and keep you busy throughout your college journey.
I’m a big believer in having purpose in life and staying productive; as the popular phrase goes, “Laziness is the mother of all bad habits” and I am a firm believer in this statement. I work three jobs: as a section editor for The Current, a cashier at Publix and as a careperson for dogs with my brother in our dog walking/care business. It’s been through my experiences that I simply feel better mentally when I am busy instead of being lazy all day and not having anything productive to show for it when my head hits the pillow at the end of the day. My advice to you is to find a job you like, and work as hard as you possibly can in that position.
NSU hosts job fairs throughout the year, and through their annual student employment fair, that is how I got my job at The Current. There were so many cool opportunities that interested me, but writing has always been a passion of mine and they had an opening for a sports editor, another passion of mine. When looking for a job, find something in a field that inspires you and gets the gears in your brain working; this is no easy task, but I advise you to apply for as many positions as possible in a subject that you know and enjoy talking about.
Under Sharklink, NSU has two main job hubs: Handshake and JobX. JobX is typically on campus jobs, which make your life that much easier if you don’t have a means of transportation and want to simply stay on campus. Handshake is more for things like internships and career opportunities, but there are still a large amount of jobs for college students. You can create a profile on each of these tools. Handshake will find jobs based on your profile. However, JobX does not have this feature, so you will need to do a bit more digging here.
While JobX and Handshake are the main tools I used to find my on-campus job, I encourage you to use other direct websites for companies that interest you. When I applied at Publix, I used their website and uploaded my resume. Talking to your career advisor will also help significantly, as they have access to a broad network of people that are looking for employees to hire and fill positions. By doing your research, following your passions and using the tools I have mentioned, you will surely be well on your way to being hired!
