When considering gaining real-world work experiences, sometimes the best place to look can be right in your own “backyard.” Thousands of students can relate to feeling overwhelmed and a bit intimidated considering paid part-time roles that will work around their academic schedules. On-campus employment gives students the opportunity to earn money, grow their campus connections, and take away valuable work experiences they can apply to all their roles outside of higher ed.
Check out six key benefits of on-campus student employment!
Access Mentors And Grow a Professional Network
Whether the student works with faculty or staff, they would have the opportunity to build meaningful connections with individuals who are understanding of both the career path they want to pursue and the student’s academic path as well. Mentorship is a culture of support where the student feels comfortable asking both professional and personal questions that would facilitate the decisions they make.
Mentors are essential to the continued growth of their professional network as well! On-campus supervisors can connect students to alumni networks, external partners, and even opportunities they could apply for.
Develop Transferable Skills and Career Readiness Competencies
On-campus employment can involve all kinds of tasks that can apply to many role responsibilities in their future careers. For example, a student filing reports or uploading data can translate that experience to “maintaining database accuracies” and “developing organizational structures for information systems.”
Additionally, students who work in the campus store gain customer relations skills as well as teamwork experience. All while working in a part-time role that works with their academic schedules.
Increased Likelihood of Persistence
It’s vital to grow and maintain a great work ethic sooner rather than later. Showing up on time, taking care of day-to-day responsibilities in their on-campus jobs means they will understand the value of their roles and keep up the hard work well after their time in higher education.
Experience Various Work Environments
As mentioned earlier, on-campus roles come in various shapes and sizes and across all aspects of campus life. From working in the campus store to financial aid, sitting behind a desk to interacting in-person with various people, students can find which environment speaks more to their interests and strengths and will encourage them to find roles of similar build that suit them outside of higher ed.
Better Connected to the Campus Support Network
Universities are rampant with resources and guidance that all students can use, but many don’t know where to find it. By becoming part of the support network, they are more familiar with how to utilize all the on-campus resources to support their own endeavors.
Design Their Life Path
Contemplating the future and a “life path” can sound daunting but, when taken in steps, starts right in your current environment. It starts with the part-time position you met wonderful mentors in. It could have even started with the latest email you received during your on-campus job about a design project that became your lifelong passion. Paths aren’t linear or stagnant and, if embraced and undertaken, neither is your on-campus employment experience.
For more information on on-campus employment visit https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/studentemployment/
