During the spring 2016 semester, I spent my extra time working at the Experiential Education Office at SUNY Potsdam, helping with the day-to-day operations of running the internship program on campus. It was stressful a lot of the time, especially because I had to focus on school first, but it taught me a lot of good lessons about what the workforce is like. Here are some of the things I learned.

1. If you didn't have a strong work ethic before, you will definitely have one after having a job in college.

Many aspects of being a strong employee relate very well to being a strong college student, so it can be pretty easy to apply those skills, habits, and values to both areas of life. For example, maintaining a sense of responsibility and integrity, emphasizing quality in your work, and establishing discipline are all things that college students know (or will learn to know) by just going through the motions of academics. But guess what? Those same skills are what employers look for, so if you're thinking about getting a part-time job in college, just remember that your the characteristics your professors hope to see in you are very similar to what your boss will expect, too.

2. Your boss will not expect any less from you just because you're a college student.

Here's the other thing, though: your boss, wherever your job takes place, isn't going to give you any less amount of responsibilities just because you have work to do in 5 or 6 classes. If you choose to apply for a part-time job, be ready to make that commitment.

According to the University of Michigan at Flint, students should spend at least two to three hours studying per every credit hour they take during a given semester. That means if you were registered for 15 credits in a semester, you should be spending anywhere between 30 and 45 hours per week studying. Consider this math when you're applying for a part-time job, because you'll also need time for a necessary social life, and extra-curricular activities.

The best way to prioritize time is to keep a schedule and a to-do list - both are different from each other. A schedule keeps track of events and meeting times, whereas a to-do list manages tasks. Going to everything on your schedule, as well as checking off things on your to-do list, goes a long way to better your sense of responsibility.

3. You will need to meet deadlines for both school and work - and that alone will prepare you for the "real world."

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. They're everywhere: on your syllabus, and also at your job. Even if your deadline is to get that take-out burger to the customer who just walked into your restaurant within the next 5 minutes, that's a deadline. And if you don't get that customer's order ready in time, they will get upset, and so will your boss. There are many reasons for deadlines, primarily because of productivity. The point is: if you don't get your work done on time and in the right way, productivity will suffer, and so will your reputation at your job.

4. Making a mistake at your job is not the end of the world. Look at it as a "teachable moment."

So let's be honest: we're all human, and sometimes, we lack good judgment, or we are impulsive or lazy, and we don't get our job done the way our boss wants us to. While you shouldn't beat yourself up about a mistake and let it affect the rest of our day, that moment when your boss lets you know that you did something wrong is not fun - at all. It really upset me when that sort of thing happened to me at my job because I realized I had disappointed my boss, and most importantly, myself. Look at every moment like that - as often or as little as they come - as a chance to learn something new about yourself and your job. It will benefit you to walk out of your boss's office and say, "Okay, I screwed up. But the good news is that I'm not going to make that mistake again."

5. Your efforts at maintaining a sense of responsibility will earn you many benefits in the long-run.

Being a good employee will earn you many benefits beyond your paycheck, including a solid letter of recommendation, networking opportunities, a possible job after college, and most importantly, respect. It doesn't matter if your boss likes you, because chances are, your boss probably doesn't know much about you outside of your job, so they wouldn't be able to make a judgment about you as a person even if they wanted to. But what you can earn from them is respect. Although your boss won't make your job any easier because you are a college student, they will most certainly respect you if you can end the semester being able to say, "I did everything I was supposed to, and more."

And guess what? Even if you can't say that much, I bet your boss will still respect you if you can truly say, "I did my personal best."

6. But if you burn a bridge, it's your loss, not theirs.

What I mean by that is, if you let your path or connection to that job break - even if it was very small - it will be very hard to build it back up. My parents always taught me the value in keeping connections and maintaining positive relationships with people. It would be a terrible feeling walking around town after having several part-time jobs saying to yourself, "I can't show my face in five of those stores, three of those restaurants, and that Dentist's Office. And also tat ice cream shop...yeah, I never went back there."

If for somehow all the bridges in this world fell down, it would be pretty hard to get anywhere wouldn't it? Yeah, there are boats and planes, but I think you get what I'm saying.

7. Learning new skills - and improving old ones - will give you insight into what kind of job you'll want after college.

Are you good at entering databases, sending out mail, and doing other administrative work? Are you at your best when the work environment is fast paced and exciting? Do you want to work at night or during the day? What kind of work are you good at and what kind of work wants to make you pull your hair out? Are you creative, analytical, practical, or a mix?

Maybe you don't know, but giving yourself a chance to work during college can give you some of those answers before you walk across the stage to get your degree. Failing at certain jobs and succeeding in others will give you insight into what you're really bad at - and what you're good at.

8. No matter what you do or how hard it is, be thankful you have a steady source of income.

Remember when you had to ask your friend to buy you dinner? Or when you couldn't go to the movies because you were two dollars short of being able to afford a movie ticket? Having a job in college, above anything else, can give you the chance to earn some spending money so you can both support yourself and enjoy yourself. Plus, you won't have to ask your parents to transfer another 20 dollars into your bank account, and that feels really, really, good.

9. But remember to draft and utilize a budget.

Don't let that money burn a hole in your pocket, either. I bet that almost any college student is paying monthly for something, be it a cell phone bill, a Netflix subscription, a small line of credit, or a rent payment for an off-campus apartment. Make a spreadsheet that maps out the due dates of all your bills, and the minimum monthly payment. If you're only left with only a small amount of money to enjoy yourself, that's still better than nothing.

10. And at the end of the semester, thank your boss for being patient with you and giving you a valuable opportunity.

At the start of finals week, schedule an appointment with your boss to talk about the progress you made and what you could improve on in the future. Tell your boss that you thank them for giving you the opportunity to work at their organization. Being humble can go a long way.