Busy Busy Busy

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.

Beginning of a New Year

It is the official first day of classes for most full time students at ODU.  My roommate and I are taking a Saturday class this year though which started a few days ago, so we had class before many of our fellow peers.  This is the first weekend class I have taken, so it's a very new experience for me especially going from class only 4 days a week to 6.  The class is about 4 hours long and meets every Saturday for the first 8 or 9 weeks of the semester, so it's a long class, but it is a fast way to get four of the credits I need for my major.  In the long run, I think it'll be a smart decision on my part.  In the short run, I am going to regret this decision every Saturday I have to wake up at 6am.
To be honest, I am not as excited about this semester as I would like to be.  On top of taking classes 6 days a week, I also work 3 days a week and I am applying for a second job as well since the blogger job has been eliminated, and I might even consider a third job depending on how the beginning of the semester goes.  I really want to be more involved and improve on my work ethic and time management though and I think that I can handle a lot on my plate right now.  I don't want to waste my time at ODU.  I really want to let this time prepare me for life after college in every way.  Ohio Dominican is all about guiding and helping students in every aspect of their lives (spiritually, mentally, physically, socially, academically, etc.) and I have slowly come to the realization that I need to take full advantage of all this school has to offer!
So this semester is definitely going to be tough, but if I can make it through and accomplish all the goals, I know I will come out a better person for it and that will be worth it!  I just pray that I have the motivation to stick with it and give this semester my all!
Some pseudo-goals I have for this semester are:
to get my temps and eventually my driver's license and a car
to get at least 2 As and nothing lower than a B in my classes
to blog, journal, or write down my thoughts in some way shape or form at least once a week
to go to the school chapel for quiet prayer and reflection time at least once a week
to get confirmed
to have my siblings attend Little Sibs weekend
to be ambassador of the month at least once
to start working out on a regular basis (I haven't decided how often it's going to be and how it will fit in my schedule)
I am sure there are more goals to come which I may add later.  For now though, those will be my main focus for the semester to help me in all aspects of my life at ODU.
Hopefully, this will be a good semester! :)
For those of you who have not read my blog before, or would simply like to read more about me and ODU from my old school blog, the link is here.  I don't know how long those blogs will be up though before the website is completely re-vamped, so I will probably post those on here later just for some background and to help you all get to know me and the school better.
I hope everyone is enjoying the New Year so far and let's all pray 2011 is a good year for everyone!