An on-campus part-time job at Trinity University can supply one with pocket money to use on fun excursions. Although students may find solace in working on campus, financial obligations often force students to take multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Trinity offers on-campus jobs as a way to bridge the gap between financial need and the time commitment of being a full-time student. Students have the opportunity to pursue these jobs as early as their first year. Mya Miller, first-year neuroscience major, said that she has already applied to several departments on campus, including Admissions and Alumni Relations through the Phonathon program, to fulfill the Federal Work-Study program that she qualified for.
“It’s mainly a family financial burden. As you know, Trinity is a pretty expensive school, right? So I’m just trying to find ways to minimize the amount of debt that I have to take out,” Miller said. “Taking multiple jobs is a good opportunity for me because a lot of the jobs are super flexible, but because of the work-study limits, they have pretty small hours.”
Miller said that she feels nervous about falling behind on her schedule but that working in the past has also helped her learn how to manage her time. For students who work, time management is essential. Hope Paschall, junior English and communication double-major, said that the flexibility of on-campus jobs enables her to gain experience from her six jobs: residential assistant, Chapel and Spiritual Life fellow, TU Press editorial intern, admissions assistant, tour guide, and FYE peer tutor.
“I am paying out of pocket for college, so it is up to me to take out loans, to make my monthly payments, insurance and other things like that,” Paschall said. “For me, personally, I think part of it has to do with the financial aspect of it. Part of it has to do with what is going to build my resume as I enter the workforce and part of it is what feeds my passions and my soul.”
Though money is a motivation for most students to apply for jobs on campus, students may also feel passionate and connected to the jobs they choose to stay employed with. Paschall said that the experience she is gaining from her employment is why she has so many jobs.
“For me, the underlying factor is that each and every one of those jobs works with people, which is what I would like to do, to pursue as a career,” Paschall said.
For self-motivated students, jobs on campus can be an excellent way to gain real-world experience without worrying about commuting, rigid schedules or long shifts. Stress is a factor of working that students often express as either making or breaking the job opportunity — they must be extremely responsible and good at scheduling their weeks in order to succeed both academically and at work. Em Miller, junior math and Spanish double-major, said that she chose to apply to certain jobs because she enjoyed the work. This semester, Miller works as a peer tutor for Introduction to Abstract Mathematics, a Tiger’s Assistant and a tour guide.
“It definitely helps having more financial security with having jobs during the semester, but I wouldn’t say that’s my main revelation,” Miller said. “None of my jobs really feel like work. They feel like I’m doing something that I like to do and getting paid for it.”
