Working Part-Time: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

"Working Part-Time: Good Idea or Bad Idea?", February 2008.

There is always a lot of talk about working while in University. Some people manage to make enough money working during the summer

months, but for some of us, finding other ways to pay the bills during the school year are required. For others, having a part-time job is just a way to have a little bit of extra spending money. Whatever the reason, deciding to work during the school year is one you should consider with some thought.

Working takes time away from your school work and socializing. It is really as simple as that. The time you spend at work you can probably spend during other things, such as sleeping, preparing for classes, completing assignments, studying, or going out with friends. If you feel that you are already stretched for time, adding a job to your schedule is not a good idea.

However, having to

juggle work, school and social commitments really improves your time management skills. You have to do so in order to make sure your grades don’t flounder completely. Your agenda is your best friend. Seriously.

Being able to work as well as be a student is (apparently) a skill future employers take note of. Again, the ability to complete school tasks as well as work speaks for your time management and organization skills. Employers like people with organizational and time management skills. Also, maintaining a job during the academic year can open doors for you in terms of networking (maybe someone you work with has a family member in the field you’re aspiring to), as well as provide you with a reference when you look for a job in the summer months.

An additional concern is how you are going to get to your place of employment. If you are without a car while you’re at school you will have two options: taking transit, or using your own two feet.

Having to get to a job and having to rely on public transit can be very difficult. If you miss your bus, you have a very good possibility of being late. Weather too, can cause you to not arrive to your place of employment on time.

Thus, one of the best places for a student to work is on campus. Lucky for us, McMaster hires students to work in various places in the university. Hospitality Services, for instance, has jobs for cashiers, food preparers, or servers. Many of the departments of the university have student receptionists. Some of the student services have program assistants that are exclusively students. The list of these sorts of jobs continues for quite awhile...so I'm going to stop now. To find out more about these jobs and others like it, consult with OSCAR; the job portal of Career Services.

However, why

not work for the MSU? The student union has lots of places for a student to work, as well as opportunities for advancement within these places of work. After Reading Week, many of the MSU services will be hiring for the upcoming academic year. These include places like Union Market, Quarters, Undercovers, and Compass. These jobs are all on campus, accommodate your academic schedule, and directly contribute to student life at McMaster. Most of these services operate when the school is open; so there is no fear of starting obscenely early or working incredibly late. Keep checking the MSU Jobs and Volunteering website, which will be updated frequently over the next few weeks.

I just spent the last year working for an MSU service, and have really enjoyed the experience. I know a bunch of people who work for some of the other services (notably Union Market and Quarters), and I haven't heard anything bad. And there are also some perks to working for MSU services, and MSU-exclusive parties that occur throughout the year as well. And don't forget you get to hob-nob it with the MSU BOD too.

Remember to think through everything I mentioned before

you consider applying for a position. And if you know anyone who is working right now, ask them too. Best of luck on the job hunt!

Also, you may want to check out Chad's Earlier article, Getting That Part-Time Job, which has a list of resources of places to apply.