Attending college is expensive and having a little extra cash on hand never hurts. But sometimes it can be hard to find a job that is easy to balance with schoolwork, extracurricular activities and a social life. The solution? Work-study.
There are a variety of part-time jobs across campus with regular schedules or flexible hours, in every building and every department. These part-time work-study jobs include working with maintenance, the athletic department, various administrative offices, the admissions department and even the Peer Learning Center.
While not every department has jobs available right now, some still hiring this semester are Campus Dining, the Student Life Office and the NEXT Program.
With positions open in the Caf, the Hub or at Common Grounds, Creative Dining is always looking for workers. The positions and responsibilities are varied, the hours are flexible, and Creative Dining is even offering a bonus to students who sign up to work for them. Duties may include working the register, cooking, putting together orders or cleaning tables.
“We can help students pick a job they will be comfortable with and then we train them, so they know exactly what to do,” said Creative Dining manager Renae Oolman.
Common Grounds barista Rebekah Phifer said she enjoys getting regular hours every week but also appreciates the flexibility with needing time off every once in a while.
In the Student Life office, work-study students answer Northwestern’s switchboard phones and transfer calls, work on filing, enter data and assist students with questions.
Desk worker Emily Schwarz said, “I love getting to work with the staff in the Student Life office, and I enjoy gaining skills I can use in future jobs.”
As a NEXT Program roommate or mentor, students work with NEXT Program students and help them through their academic year at NW. More than just assisting their students, the roommates and mentors get experience working with people with disabilities and get to live out NW’s mission in a very practical way.
More work-study options are likely to open at the beginning of next semester.
Other types of work-study jobs include positions in the athletic department, like working concessions or taking stats at games.
Stats keeper Bree Hodnefield said her hours depend on how many games there are, and it’s a little more chaotic this year, but she enjoys interacting with the coaches, hyping up the players and getting the chance to work often in a fast-paced environment.
There are also a variety of desk jobs in different departments around campus, like the Rowenhorst Student Center, the Learning Commons or Campus Ministry. These jobs offer a regular amount of hours with a lot of flexibility and freedom to work with your schedule.
Circulation desk worker Hailey Louw said, “There is a lot more time to study in this work-study as compared to a lot of other ones on campus, and I really enjoy my job because of all the people I get to interact with.”
Likewise, Emilee Hulsing, who works with Campus Ministry at chapels, said, “I love my job! It’s a great way to meet new people, and I’ve gained a lot of new skills from it.”
Other flexible jobs you can look into include tutoring, being a professor’s teacher’s assistant, working for admissions’ call teams, calling for the Phonathon and more.
If you’re interested in a particular type of job, you can go directly to that department or professor to learn more or let them know you’re interested in working for them to gain experience and build your résumé.
Otherwise, campus job openings are posted on Handshake, and students can view the jobs at any time and get more information about them. They can even apply for the job right there on Handshake.
Visit the website https://nwciowa.joinhandshake.com. Use your NW email address and password to log in.
