I have lots of homework needing my attention, so I figured what better time to sit down and write a blog? As much as I love my classes, sometimes it's just more enjoyable to write about my week than it is to write an essay on Spanish novellas from the 1500s. Today I wanted to share with you some information about working on campus since I know that's something I always get asked about on tours.
Speaking of tours, one of my jobs on campus is working for the Admissions Department, which I really enjoy. I am also a student assistant with the Dean of Students office, and I hold an elected position with our Student Government, ASLC, that I get a stipend for. So I wear many hats (literally and figuratively, and I really like that I get to have so many different experiences.
Where do you even look for a job on campus?
LC has a job posting site through Workday, which is also where you log your hours to get paid. You can check out a list of jobs that are currently available right here. Usually, jobs start getting posted at the end of the summer and into the beginning of the fall semester, and then again over winter break. Most jobs require work-study or have a preference for students with work-study, and there are also some non-work study jobs available as well.
Most jobs pay the minimum wage for Portland, which goes up fairly regularly which is really nice. Currently it's $13.25. Some jobs will increase your pay if you work there multiple years in a row, and some jobs start out with higher pay if you come in with extra skills like with IT.
What kinds of jobs are available?
All kinds. I don't think I could even try to name all of them. You've got the classic college jobs like working with admissions (i think it's the best) or being an RA. There are lots of services on campus provided by students like working for IT, working as a circulation assistant in the library, food service workers, mailroom workers, helping out with conferences and events, and even working with maintenance and groundskeeping. There are also lots of jobs with different departments-- you can work as an assistant to an academic department, or as a lab assistant, or as a math homework grader, or for a research lab. The athletics department also employs students, as does Student Engagement (in charge of all clubs and organization), and the Sustainability Office, and the Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, and the Dean of Students office where I work. I really suggest checking out this page to see some specific descriptions.
What's it actually like to work on campus?
I think The best thing about an on-campus job is that your bosses know that your work as a student comes first, and they will work with you to make it so that you can study and be a student but also have time to work. The most helpful part of this is that jobs are usually very flexible time-wise, and you can work around your class schedule. I know I would have a really hard time getting a steady job off-campus because my class hours vary so much from day to day and semester to semester.
The second best thing about working on campus is that you get to know so much more about the place you go to school. I've loved working with the Dean of Students' office and seeing some of the behind the scenes work that it takes to keep residence halls running and parents happy. Working with admissions is fun too because I feel like I get to have a hand in who the future student of LC may be. Working with the Student government is also really cool because I get to have meetings with administrators and give my thoughts on the proposed budget for next year, and what big construction projects the college should be thinking about. This summer, I also worked for a bit with the maintenance department as a painter to help refresh all the paint around campus, and it was cool to see some of the work that goes into maintaining everything from year to year.
And of course, the other nice thing about working on campus is earning money. Which I'm also very grateful for.
Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to chat about anything LC related! My email is quentingaul@lclark.edu