Most people will tell horror stories about their first job. Students are often doomed to work jobs in retail or in fast food service. Despite some of the horror stories that I have told, there is a powerful redeeming quality about my first job -- I help students like you and I stay in college. I am a Telefund caller.

If I were to submit a definition to Meriam Webster for the job of being a Telefund caller the definition would read: (noun) a student who is paid slightly above the minimum wage to become a professional hustler for the strict benefit of students in need of scholarships during this trying time of outrageously high tuition rates.

Being a student caller in a fundraising-focused call center is best described as a mix between "The Office" and "The Devil Wears Prada." The work environment is fun and quirky yet the occasional verbal assaults from alumni can be traumatizing. And yet I love my job, no, I actually adore my job.

What began as a venture to gain some extra cash has turned into a series of life lessons that just keep on coming. Parents weren't kidding when they said that everyone should work in some sort of customer service position. If you don't plan on working in customer service anytime soon I suggest you take a look at these life hacks straight from the Telefund call center.

1. Just because you don't respect my job does not mean that you have the right to disrespect who I am.

If I had a dollar for every single time an alumni has rudely hung up the phone or yelled in my ear after I said a simple "Hello" I would be able to pay off my student loans and buy a new Range Rover. It takes literally 30 seconds out of your day to answer the phone and pleasantly say, "Hello, I hope your day is going well. I wanted to let you know that I won't be able to help your campaign today but I appreciate your call and I would like to be taken off of your call list." Feel free to use that actual script.

The person on the other end of the phone is a human too; we are someone's son or daughter. Please think about what you say before you say it. In fact, don't say anything to a Telefund caller that you wouldn't say to your grandmother, got it?

2. Do not take out your anger towards an institution or a business on us.

Here is the truth, as a student I have limited power when it comes to passing on your angry message to the president of my university. I have heard countless injustices and it saddens me. For those who have been cheated or hurt, I stand with you in solidarity but I will not stand and listen to you scream in my ear about how angry you are while you occasionally toss in an insult towards me. If you truly and very deeply feel pained by the institution that you once attended, write a letter or contact administration but do not take out your anger on an overworked, sleep deprived and probably hungry college student. It is a waste of both your time and ours.

3. I know you eat Chipotle/Starbucks/Dunkin on the daily. If you can spare the change, do it.

There is this common misconception that we want to suck our alumni dry. That is a lie. If you at one point attended DePaul there is a massive chance you were given some sort of scholarship because that's just how DePaul rolls. Pay it forward. You don't have to donate $1000. I know, you're probably a real life grown up off getting married, making babies, buying houses and paying off student loans. I am proud of you for that, I admire you for that. That does not make you exempt from donating $5. Yes, $5 is all it takes to change a life. To help a student get one step closer to achieving their dreams. I know you have $5. I also know there are some of you that will only give to a specific fund or cause, but guess what, there is probably a student based division of that cause on campus that needs your support. Give your $5 to them.

4. Don't tell me you did it on your own and that you don't believe in helping others.

I talk to people who struggled through college because they didn't receive the help they deserved. It breaks my heart, but you know what's worse? It's the fact that those same people refuse to donate to students who are just like them and are in desperate need of help. Here's a general rule of thumb in the game of life, "Strive to be the person you once needed." Build a bridge, get off your high horse and lend a hand to someone who needs it. We'll never get anywhere if we stubbornly hold onto the idea that if we suffered, others deserve that too.

5. If you can't donate money ask about how you can donate your time.

College is not just four years. The university you attended will follow you forever, because whether you like it or not you are a part of our legacy. Together we all make a community of people who are committed to learning more; people who are committed to becoming well-rounded members of society. So for those of you that can't spare those $5, please ask the student you are talking to if there are any other ways you can get involved. We would be more than happy to direct you to resources that need your time and words of wisdom instead of your monetary contributions.

At the end of the day please do not forget that as an alumni you are an example for all of us undergraduates. Do not forget about the institution that helped get you to where you are today. And please do not forget that there is someone out there right now, much like yourself, who is struggling and deserves your help whether that is mentorship or a simple $5 contribution.

You have the power to make someone's life better. Quit fussing and just do it.