Being an RA is an excellent discussion-starter during interviews for post-grad jobs. It allows the candidate to use it as a jumping-off point to discuss influencing skills, ability to manage conflict in a non-authoritarian way (i.e. it’s not mom saying “because I said so” but a more nuanced way of resolution), time management skills, building esprit de corps, creating consensus.
There are lots of on-campus jobs that will provide some of these experiences, but many of them are heavily supervised (i.e. if you’re working in the dining hall, you may get experience managing conflict, but your boss is usually working the shift with you). RA is somewhat unique because it is un-supervised, lots of responsibility, and teaches so many of these soft skills which are so critical in the early years of a career.
Not for everyone- and in fact, if a kid has trouble with time management, I think being an RA is a recipe for disaster (there is always a knock on the door when you least expect it) but it makes for a great interview regardless of the career path!