Whether you're an incoming freshman or a rising upperclassman, we've all wondered whether it's better to work on or off-campus. And while off-campus jobs might pay more, it's working on campus that can really jumpstart your career. Here are 5 reasons why it's better to work on campus:
1. On-campus jobs understand that your classes come first.
Working on campus, your employers care about how well you do in your courses, they can be much more reasonable when it comes to reducing your hours for studying purposes. Off-campus employers tend to not sympathize with your priorities.
2. Getting a head start in working within your field.
If you're an education major you can start working as a tutor or a teachers assistant. If you want to do research within your field you can become a research assistant. Working on campus within your field can help you create connections in your college. That way when the time comes you'll have your ideal recommendations and a little bit of experience.
3. Finals Week.
It can be much more difficult to get time off for finals week at an off-campus job. First of all, most schedules go out three weeks early, and your professors don't always communicate with you that far in advance about when or what type of exam you'll be having. So what if you took time off for the exam date that's in the syllabus but then your professor pushes the exam up and suddenly you've got to get your shifts covered and changed and study for your final? That hassle doesn't really seem worth it.
4. Working on campus requires little to no transportation time.
Even if your on-campus job is only ten minutes away, you still have to change into uniform and get there a tad early, which means you'll need at least twenty minutes to get from class to work. That's twenty minutes you could have already been working. Besides, having an off-campus job means you either need a car or reliable public transportation. What happens when the Lee Tran is running ten minutes behind? Or your car is deciding not to start today? Working on campus eliminates those types of issues and you can get more time working.
5. Going home for break.
Off-campus jobs crowded with college students means getting time off to go home for break is basically a duel to the death (or termination). Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration. Realistically it's usually first-come, first-serve, and those who have booked flights and special occasions don't always get the time off they need. Really, it's hard for off-campus employers to let every college student go home for the break because then who is supposed to work? As opposed to on-campus jobs, whose hours are flexible with breaks and understanding of travel.
Having worked both on and off-campus jobs I can understand those who would prefer to get away for a while, but I would still opt to work on campus. At the end of the day, it connects you to your university on a deeper level and creates relationships in a stable environment. I've worked three on-campus jobs so far and with each one, I've developed a new sense of belonging at FGCU.
im an eagle, im excited for fall, and im_blu3
