On-campus jobs: Don't miss good ones

For students, employment can appear as a bright light at the end of the dark tunnel of education - a tunnel which often appears to be getting longer by the day. However, some choose to take a flashlight with them. How? By obtaining an after school job.

Ranging from waitress to lab assistant, college students nationwide form a healthy percentage of the work force, often at their own school. Of the 5200 students on the Homewood campus, 3500 claim employment by one of the many Hopkins affiliates scattered over Baltimore, including Peabody, the School of Public Health, and the medical school.

And, while 67 percent of our student population finds jobs on various campuses, even more have opted to work in the private sector, such as waitressing in the Charles Village Pub or Rocky Run, or interning with the government.

The most desirable jobs, however, appear to be those offered by the University. The edge? Most campus employers know school work always comes first, and so they show greater flexibility when it comes to schedules and work hours, according to senior Amanda Owens, a computer science major who fixes PCs for Development Information Systems.

Students can often work during the day in-between classes, rather than having to loose chunks of their precious evening hours.

Another perk of working for the school? There's the chance to add personal experience in one's field to the resume.

Freshman premed Sid Chaudhury already works in medicine as a research assistant at the medical campus. The research ties in neatly with his studies, allowing him to gain valuable training and knowledge while displaying to future employers his ability to work outside the text book.

Medical research positions, as well as Web design and library positions, are most popular for those who wish to avoid non-university employment possibilities.

And surprisingly, many students do wish to stay away. Senior Alisha Loh said waitressing can be very tiring, and would take a large toll on her studies. Or, as freshman Dorothy Spencer put it, "I have been a waitress and I suck at it. So I'll go for clerical work instead."

While resum-padding provides many students with the motivation to seek employment, the most common reason is, quite simply, money. Parents frequently see college as a time of decreased fiscal liability for themselves and increased fiscal responsibility for their child.

What it means for you, is that you can't run to mommy and daddy any time you require a little extra pocket money. So rather than face a year of poverty and daily dining on Terrace and Wolman food, many students suck it up and head out into the work force.

And most students, surprisingly, like it there. Lisa Bisers, a freshman working at the Alumni Relations Office said "It's the best job I've had. So far it's clean, it's air conditioned, and the people are awesome." The social aspect provides enjoyment for Loh at her job at the library.

Not all are thrilled by their jobs: a sophomore Web designer described his job as "lame-u-cational," literally, an education in lameness.

Obtaining a University-coordinated job is extremely simple. One can go online to http://www.jhu.edu/stujob and scan the lists of possibilities.

The Student Employment Office, now in the basement of Garland Hall, has bulletin boards full of job openings and plenty of people behind the counter willing to help. Their annual job fair brings representatives from many departments to hawk their openings, luring students in with candy and key chains.

And, if a student wants only a temporary job, the Student Job Center has introduced Quick Cash, a system which allows you to sign-up online for temporary positions. When positions come up, the students signed up are notified, and the first one to respond gets the job. Jobs could last only a day, but hey, you've got the cash.

Students fill a valuable niche in the school and city employment system.

"We couldn't run our office without student employees," said Karen Bucek of the Student Employment Office.

And it's true; students fill the ranks as essential clerks, telemarketers, security officers, and the ever-important coffee venders. We file reports, answer phones politely, place orders and log research.

So maybe, when entering the work force, the educational tunnel isn't the only thing we students light up.