College Work-Study

[Your Mother]

[SIZE=1]For all you college veterans.

This fall I'm entering my first year at the University of Michigan. I qualify for the Work-Study financial aid package, which means I have to get a job to get the money. That's no problem, but I'm not sure which job to look for.

I would ideally like a job with lots of idle time for me to study in (going into Engineering, but might leave it.) OR a job in which I can meet lots of new people.

Or, of course a fun job. Any ideas?[/SIZE]

[Fasteriskhead]

You've probably already seen [url=http://www.studentemployment.umich.edu/JobX_FindAJob.aspx][u]this[/u][/url], but I link it just in case. Have a look around.

General rule 1: there's almost no way of telling how much downtime you're going to have on a job until you visit and have a look-see around the place. I've found that Admin/Office Assistant positions are generally quiet, but it's ultimately going to depend on who hires you.

General rule 2: before you settle on one job or another, try to go on as many interviews as time allows (or, failing formal interviews, just chat with someone who works there). You're trying to play the field here - don't just start off with your ideal job in mind and work backwards, drop a word or two in places that you wouldn't normally consider. Get a wide sense of the different people and environments.

General rule 3: ask the folks working at the Student Employment Office for help. Tell them what you're looking for, what you think you'll be able to do, and see if they have any good matches lying around. If for no other reason, it's very possible that the internet database (see link above) is out of date or incomplete, so it pays to speak with a human being sometimes. But in the end, frankly, just go talk them because they're going to know much more about this stuff than a bunch of foreign cartoon fans hanging out on the internet.

[Sara]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]My university has student job postings. Most of the coolest jobs I've seen are work-study only (which I do not qualify for). Oh, well.

If you work with people your age, you'll probably meet people you like. If you work with stuffy university adults, you'll probably have a lot of down time. If your school has campus job listings, I would browse through those until you find something that interests you. Even if you don't get that job, you'll have an idea of what you want to look for.[/size][/color]