Before I got placed in my work study job, I wasn't too pleased about the idea of juggling school and work at the same time. However, after meeting my supervisors, getting acquainted with my co-workers, and learning the ins and outs of the job, I realized that I loved it! There are many reasons why work study has become one of my favorite things about the college experience. If you're given the opportunity, you should definitely try it!
1. Making Friends
Making friends is the best thing about any experience in college. Whatever activity you're involved in, whether it's as great as joining a club or as intimidating as starting a new job on campus, it's been a good day if you can walk out with new friends.
2. Time Management
If you learn anything during work study, it's how to manage your time. With classes, meals, clubs, homework, and work, you have your plate full. Somehow you still manage to have free time to spend with your friends.
3. Learning New Things
In my opinion, this is the best part of work study. Maybe you work in the library, the admissions office, or as a teacher's aid for a chemistry lab. Either way, you have probably picked up on new tidbits of knowledge. As for me, I work in the scene shop at the theater on campus. Whether I'm learning how to build the sets for the fall play or hanging lights for the incoming roadshow performance of "Foreigner," my job is never boring.
4. Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
This is a lesson that you've probably learned by default by having to speak to prospective students in the admission office, managing your fear of heights while walking on the theater catwalk, or stepping into a leadership role to teach a biology lab. Whether you like it or not, you've probably been put in new and awkward situations, but you've used those situations to step out of your comfort zone and you've become more well-rounded as a result.
5. Stress Relief and Distraction
Although work study is time consuming, it is a great distraction from the daily college stress. You get the chance to focus on something other than that term paper that you haven't started or the oral presentation that you're nervous about. Work study becomes fun in that sense, as it's where you go to get stress relief and have a little fun.
6. Earning Money
Although you're probably only making minimum wage, the money adds up after a while. By the end of the month you've got a check that will support your weekly outings to that great Mexican restaurant in town. You can save that money up for next semester's books or you can buy that cute pair of boots that have been sitting in your Amazon wish list since August. Either way, it's a win.
7. New Opportunities
Considering that it's college, work study can be a great way to network and find new opportunities. Working at the health center on campus can connect you with health care professionals that you can shadow. If you're like me, working in the scene shop can give you the opportunity to join the tech and backstage crew on upcoming school plays. Being a lab assistant for a freshman physics lab can give you great teaching experience. No matter where you're placed for work study, there are opportunities to rise above and beyond if you're willing to seek them out.
8. Work Experience
Maybe you're like me and this is your first job, but even if you've been employed before, you are still gaining new experience that makes you more responsible, well-rounded, and disciplined for the future. This work study job, no matter how unimportant it appears, is preparing you for your career after college. Appreciate all you learn at work, soak up as much knowledge you can, and enjoy yourself. After all, work can be fun, right?
9. Responsibility
You've had to manage the workload of school and extracurricular activities before, but adding the responsibility of a job makes you a more well-rounded member of society. Now, not only can you juggle practicing for the sport that you play and studying for your exam at the end of the week, but you can also add this job to your resume.
10. Leadership
Odds are good that you've had to assume a leadership role at some point in your job so far, either by teaching a newer student how to read a lighting plot or by leading a group of prospective students on a campus tour. Leadership is an important quality to have in life and getting experience in this field is very valuable.
11. A Feeling of Giving Back
Hopefully, you love your work study job as much as I do. When you love where you work it becomes about who you serve. You might have helped that nervous freshman find a book in the library, have spoken to parents about the opportunities that can be found at your college, or just smiled at one of your coworkers. Your job is now a way to brighten someone's day and bring a little bit more joy to your campus.
