One of the perks of living on campus at ODU is that there is a variety of jobs for students right here on campus. One can get job placement through financial aid rewards or get a regular job through various departments on campus. I have taken advantage of these opportunities to both my delight and displeasure. For whatever reason, I decided that having two jobs at the same time on top of being a full-time student was a great idea. I slowly learned that though it is great for my bank account, it is not fun at all.
I originally started my freshman year with a seasonal job working 2-4 nights a week for only a few weeks each semester as a Phonathon caller. This was not a difficult job or a time- consuming one at that, so it was a perfect job for my freshman year. Then, my sophomore year, I decided to take on a job that would last the entire school year, so that my paydays would be more frequent and thus, my financial situation more stable. I got a job working at the Information Desk in our Student Center through Financial Aid in the Work Study program. I made a little more than minimum wage and my boss was very laid back. I was only scheduled to work 3 times a week for 2-3 hours at a time. It was a nice and easy job though it did get really boring, but it was nice being able to basically get paid for sitting at a desk and just working on school work while I waited to assist visitors to our Student Center.
At the end of my Sophomore year, the school got rid of the Concierge position in the Student Center and so my boss offered me a job as an ambassador which would still be through the Admissions department and could still qualify as a work-study position and would pay a little more money as a level 3 position. I was hired as soon as I said 'yes' without applying or anything. My boss also encourage me to apply to be a student blogger which I did and so again, I had two jobs, but these two jobs required a lot more of me than the phonathon and information desk. I had to be trained for both and they each required a tight shedule and a lot of committment. It was a good way to start off my Junior year though. It kept me busy so I wasn't bored and helped me prepare for the kinds of jobs I might have when I graduate and go out into the real world.
The blogger position was eliminated after only one semester of me working as a blogger. I was worried that I wouldn't be making as much money as I had gotten used to with two pretty well-paying jobs, so I applied at the library and got that position, but for the first time, I was not working between 2 and 4 days a week varying by week, but rather, I was working every single morning Monday-Friday for the entire semester. It was the shift the library most desperately needed a worker for and I would be getting a decent amount of hours, so I took it in addition to my ambassador position and since they are both level 3 jobs, I am making a really decent amount of money, but I am exhausted from working so often without any large amount of time in between to recooperate. At least my Saturday class is over now and tomorrow is the last Visitation Day of the year, so I will have my Saturdays free to rest now and my Cofirmation class should be over after Sunday, so my Sundays will be freed up pretty soon as well which will be a big help especially when finals roll around in just a month and a half!
I think that having a job and pushing yourself to build a good work ethic and self-motivation is a really big part of growing up and I think college is a great time to begin working on skills like this that will help you in the future especially in your career. ODU definitely makes it easy for students to find their own spot in the workplace right here on campus. I think every student should try to take advantage of the good fortune of ODU and make that transition into the workforce right here on campus if possible, but remember not to overwork yourself or take on more than you can handle.
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