Amidst the hundreds and thousands of ways colleges and universities across the country are diverse -- from ethnicity to major, culture and religion -- I think that college students will unite under one banner for three things: to appreciate our love and hate relationship with procrastination, to hoard good (and especially free) food, and to muse over our pitiful lack of money. The college budget is a real thing, people.

In retrospect, it’s no surprise that college students everywhere are considering part time jobs in order to attempt bridging the gap between the money we spend, and the money we actually have. Because the sad truth is that those maxed out credit cards don’t pay themselves.

However before you jump in to your job applications there are a few things to consider. Working in college can be either help or a hindrance depending on how you go about it.

Research shows that “students who work a modest number of hours per week (10 to 15 hours), on campus, are more likely than other students --even students who do not work at all -- to persist and earn degrees”. Personally, I can attest to working too many hours a week. The only thing I ever took away from that was a lack of sleep (and social life) and a pile up of homework.

With that being said, it’s so important to work a modest number of hours. College students have it in their minds for some reason that they’re superheroes, and we’re really far from it. Working too many hours is stressful (as if we don’t have enough of that), tiring, and really not good for your social or academic career.

Notice also that researchers stress student success through employment on campus. According to a student employee at the University of Oregon, she met people in her community, “not only through my coworkers, but just the customers themselves remembering my face and acknowledging me on campus.”

I can also attest to this. Working on campus has given me the opportunity to meet so many amazing people on campus that I otherwise would have never come across, We’ve become so close by working together that it becomes more than just a job, we’re our own social circle. We go out together, we hang out together, we do things together as students rather than employees.

Furthermore, it all boils down to finding the perfect on campus employment opportunity. From University Recreation to Port City Java, NC State provides a multitude of opportunities for students to benefit from. Additionally, corporate and retail companies nation wide seek student representatives on campuses for a lot of different reasons. Victoria’s Secret, Mary Kay, Coca Cola, Monster and a ton of other companies are constantly seeking campus representative to further their sales on large college campuses.

Student employment all comes down to finding the perfect fit for your own preferences, as well as the perfect fit for your academic schedule. Something that will not take up too much of your time is the perfect way to earn some extra cash.