Hey everyone, I will be a freshman in the fall and am going to be a first generation college student, so I haven’t had many people to talk to about the subject. Anyways, I’m from CA and will be a nursing major in WA. I’m just curious as to how holding down a job in college will work; for example: if I were to get a job during the school year, let’s say working at some position at a hospital, what would happen when I go home for the summer? Would I lose my job, or would it be back waiting for me in the fall? Moreover, are there jobs available for students in the health care field for summers only? I’ve looked up a lot of part time jobs, but most seem to be year round and not necessarily aimed towards students. Sorry for all the questions, I just want to get some experience while I’m in school so I’ll be more competitive when looking for a job.
Which college are you attending? Most colleges have a website with on-campus job listings targeted to students. You shouldn’t go out and get a “regular” job – you should get a student job. These jobs typically work with the students’ schedules and have a lot of flexibility. Whether you have the same job when you return after the summer depends on the employer and the type of job. Some employers hire students every semester, so if it works out well you could ask to come back the following semester. If it’s just a one-semester job that won’t be open again, then you’d have to find a new job.
Check your college’s Career Development office for on-campus jobs or jobs that are affiliated with the school and regularly hire students. The school where I work has a job board and I have hired assistants through it many times. As an on-campus employer, I work around their class schedules, give them time off if needed for finals, and don’t expect them to work over breaks.
If there is a university hospital affiliated with the school, they might be more accommodating to student’s schedules.
@brantly @PetraMC thank you guys, I realize that it obviously makes more sense to obtain a Work study job, but I was hoping to get some experience that would be relevant to my field. Do you think that I would have trouble finding one?
@hemingways If you are awarded work-study, go for it. But there are also PLENTY of on-campus, student jobs that are not work-study. A student job is not synonymous with work-study. Some of them are, some are not. And there can be 10 students doing the same job with five getting paid through work-study and five not. Nobody except your employer knows where the funds to pay you are coming from.
I have no idea what types of jobs are available on your campus. Tell us what school you will be attending, and we can help you find the job listings for that school. Or you can find it yourself.
Jobs on campus typically work around your class schedule. If I recall correctly work study jobs have limits on hours and wages. Sometimes it works better not on work study in terms of more hours and higher paying jobs. It just depends.