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10 Best On-campus Jobs for Graduate Students

Written by Grad School Center Team We are a passionate team of experienced educators and advisors at GradSchoolCenter.com, dedicated to guiding students through their graduate education journey. Our experts, with advanced degrees across various disciplines, offer personalized advice, up-to-date program information, and practical insights into application processes.

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Updated: January 20, 2024, Reading time: 12 minutes

On-campus Jobs for Graduate Students - featured image

Graduate school is associated with high costs, causing undergraduate students to become hesitant about pursuing advanced studies. However, with excellent ROIs of MBA and PhD holders being established, it pays to find ways to finance your studies and take the plunge! A popular way to afford grad school is through an on-campus job.

On-campus Jobs for Graduate Students - fact

Aside from the benefits of an on-campus job that can help finance grad school, there are many more advantages to it. For instance, it allows you to meet new people, develop more skill sets, and prepare you for real-world work scenarios.

Graduate students who work on campus have a fantastic opportunity to start saving money for debt repayment or to earn some extra pocket money.

On-campus jobs at most institutions require little to no experience from a graduate student seeking employment. Many of these jobs can fit around your class schedules.

Benefits of On-Campus Job for Graduate Students

Benefits of On-Campus Job for Graduate Students - Image

If you’re still on the fence about whether to get an on-campus job while studying in grad school, read on and discover more of its benefits:

Earn on the side.

As a grad student, you have the option to work to supplement your income and pay for books, transportation, and other living expenses. After all, grad school entails many expenses, especially when you start research and other projects. Even though you won’t have to pay back your student loans until after graduation, you might decide to set aside some money each month to pay down your debt.

Alternatively, you may work throughout your time as a student to help pay for summer vacations or personal purchases. Regardless of the motivation for your additional money, this is one of the primary benefits of working while pursuing a graduate degree.

Get a flexible way to make money.

Compared to real work in companies and firms, having on-campus jobs offers more convenience and flexibility. This is because they understand your commitments with your grad school and studies. Simply put, employers who have positions on campus are more receptive to academic issues since they are an extension of the institution.

You can get relieved from duties based on your course schedule. This offers freedom to deal with academic issues and steadiness that won’t interfere with your education. 

Gain work experience.

On-campus employment is a legit work experience that you can integrate into your resume. It demonstrates your ability to manage employment and school, which is usually advantageous to companies.

Many employers prefer students like you who’ve already been exposed to work settings, even on campuses. You may demonstrate your interest in your university and your commitment to working hard at it by working on campus.

Although doing your on-campus job generally won’t exactly align with your post-graduation goals, it will nevertheless provide you with invaluable experience in the working world. Your supervisors will be pleased to provide you with references for upcoming positions if you do exceptionally well at work.

Build your network.

Working on campus introduces you to a lot of people. This allows you to build your network as early as grad school. Because of the networking possibilities that come with working while attending grad school, many students may choose to hunt for a job throughout their time in school.

Through networking, you’ll be able to find professional contacts that may help you in the future as you look for job prospects.

Enhance your academic performance.

According to some studies, working on campus might improve your GPA. This is because you may gain insights outside of the classroom, which allows you to apply them in your lessons and courses. Also, when it comes to developing soft skills, you’ll learn to manage time and organize obligations well. This may lead to improved study habits, which can positively impact academic performance. 

You may learn how to manage your duties and arrange time to accommodate all of your interests and commitments by working while enrolled in school. While it would appear like juggling a job and school will negatively impact your grades, learning to balance different priorities can help you develop smart time management techniques that will help you thrive in both your academic and professional endeavors.

Develop real-world values.

It’s advisable to earn on-campus jobs because it can develop your skills early on. Jobs performed on campus resemble a cross between working full-time for an organization and being a grad student. This makes positions on campus stand out as a transitional step.

These positions may serve as a sort of training ground for careers after graduation. Working on campus will teach you how to attend classes, interact with coworkers, communicate with your employer efficiently, handle clients, and multitask.

You will be appreciative of all these fundamental abilities when you start looking for work. It’s the earliest time to build your professional skills. 

Enhance your skill sets.

Grad students can hone skills while working on campus. With the aid of these job-hunting techniques, students may cultivate transferrable talents that they can highlight in a cover letter and include on their CV or resume. The skills and knowledge you gain from a job related to your academic background might help you succeed in your chosen profession. 

Here are the soft skills that you can develop in an on-campus job:

Leadership

You may get essential leadership experience in a number of professional responsibilities, such as leading a team or training colleagues. Regardless of the field you want to work in after graduation, demonstrating your strength and effectiveness as a leader may make you stand out to potential employers.

Teamwork

You could participate in teamwork and contribute to projects or initiatives with your coworkers, whether you work as an admin assistant, library staff, or research assistant. This ability might demonstrate to potential employers your ability to collaborate with others to carry out a task or finish an assignment.

Communication

If you’re not a social person, having an on-campus job will allow you to get out of your shell more often. Simultaneously, this also develops your communication skills. Your verbal communication skills can be developed in several roles on and off campus.

Since the tasks require you to collaborate with others, your communication skills can increase.

Time Management

As mentioned, working as a grad student gives you the opportunity to manage your time better. Because most companies expect you to follow a set schedule and be at work on time, having professional experience may help you establish and improve your time management abilities.

When you are looking for a job after graduation, these skills may come in handy, so be sure to emphasize time management on your CV or resume.

10 Best On-campus Jobs for Graduate Students

10 Best On-campus Jobs for Graduate Students - Image

For starters, here are ten of the best on-campus jobs available for you as a grad student.

Library Technician

One perk of working in the library as a grad student makes it easy for you to access research resources. You can easily study and make use of available resources for your thesis and research projects. Work as a library technician and become a specialist in libraries and information.

You’ll oversee the daily operations of a library and help with the gathering, organizing, and arranging of library resources. You should also be able to help customers locate information. 

The finest job for a grad student worker to have when it comes to low-key, low-stress employment is probably library assistant. Since you already experience enough pressure with your studies, your on-campus job should be laid back and simpler. What’s even better is that grad students working in the library may study during downtime, allowing them to work and learn at the same time.

Administrative Secretary

Grad students can work as administrative secretaries. They should support department personnel with events and projects, enter data, and manage time-sensitive reports, among other duties. In addition, they manage files in well-organized filing systems, carry out standard administrative tasks, and make appointments.

This on-campus job is another simple job that doesn’t come with too much stress and pressure. You’ll expect to perform secretarial work. For both internal and external parties, this person typically acts as the initial point of contact.

Determining if being an administrative assistant is the right career route for you can be aided by knowing the tasks and abilities required for the position. You’ll handle meetings, calendars, and appointments. You’re also in charge of answering calls, emails, messages, and queries. 

Research Assistant

One fitting on-campus job for grad students is to be a research assistant. Usually, research assistants collaborate closely with professors to support their studies. Professors give their research assistants specific instructions about what they require, and students might do experiments, carry out literature reviews, or engage in other types of study.

Research assistants collaborate on a project in their area of interest with a professor. They are in charge of helping with project-related duties, which might vary based on the subject but could involve gathering information through research and summarizing conclusions, answering emails about the research, and monitoring undergraduate work progress.

Resident Staff

This can be a no-brainer on-campus job than the rest, but grad students can benefit from this job. Especially if you’re living in the school dorm, as a resident assistant, you’ll be responsible for frequently watching after a group of students who share that dorm in the same hall.

You can receive free housing because of this job, but you need to ensure that all dorm students follow through with the housing rules and policies. 

Campus Tour Guide

Grad schools usually invite prospective grad students to come to their campus and check their facilities. The campus tour guide is the one in charge of accommodating the guests. They also share their experiences there and highlight key campus locations like dorms, gyms, halls, laboratories, classrooms, and so on.

If you’re a socially inclined person, this job is for you. You may even meet new friends along the way. 

On Campus Tutor

This job offers a lot of setups and possible ways to make money. Tutors can work with high school children, college students, or even a private family living close to campus. Tutors dive deeper into sessions to aid students who are having difficulty with a particular subject.

If you’re well-versed in one specific course or topic, you can assist students who are struggling academically. 

Campus Newspaper Staff

For those who have amazing writing or journalism skills, one amazing job for grad students is to be a campus newspaper staff. You can be a column writer, editor, proofreader, or a member of student reporters.

Most campuses come with their own school newspaper, and they’re always in need of contributors and workers who can release high-quality articles and content. 

Campus Museum Assistant

Students working as museum and gallery assistants usually have an interest in the arts, whether they are exhibiting student and alumni artwork in a contemporary gallery environment or working in a history and culture museum. They could take care of ticketing, process new objects, or serve as docents for guests.

Admissions Staff

Every grad school comes with an admissions department or team. Grad students can work in the admissions office to help and assist prospective grad students.

In addition, they may aid with data entry, phone and email potential students and their families, and assist with any other office-related administrative tasks. Since administrative work is a skill required for many various types of occupations, learning it may be beneficial.

Translator

Multi-lingual graduate students can work as translators. Translators are those who speak another language well and specialize in translating written content between other languages.

They may gather material into glossaries or other databases and often translate ideas from the original language into their comparable notions in the other language. By having this work, they have a unique avenue to brush up on their language skills even more. 

Tips for Finding the Best On-Campus Job for Grad Students

Tips for Finding the Best On-Campus Job for Grad Students - Image

Now that you know which jobs to start applying for, consider the following tips on where to find them.

Approach your university’s career services department.

Contrary to what some grad students understand, career service centers are not only limited to helping you find jobs after graduation. As early as your first year in grad school, they can already help. They can offer options to finance your graduate studies, but they’ll be focused on looking for a work-study program that’s fit for you.

Visit the career services office to find out whether you are eligible for work-study. You may view the jobs that are open on campus, the positions for which you are qualified, and the application requirements.

Join organizations.

Organizations, clubs, and communities can help open doors of opportunities for some on-campus work. Become a member of as many groups that interest you as you can, go to meetings, and establish connections with instructors and students. You can obtain employment as a research assistant or in clinical trials by joining these groups.

You can also find employment as a teaching assistant or resident adviser by joining various organizations. Make sure everyone you meet in such circles is aware of your search for a well-paying position.

Keep an eye out for grad school bulletin boards.

The department bulletin board is one of the greatest areas to look for an on-campus job for grad students. Most colleges combine related departments and majors into one building or floor. Look for fliers and postings about open positions in your department on the bulletin boards located throughout the halls.

Also, visit your grad school website and explore even the postings of other departments. 

Use word-of-mouth.

You may leverage the ties you build with other grad students in college to help you land your next career. After all, this is the best place to earn new acquaintances. Speak with fellow students and classmates if they know of any job openings on campus.


Additional Information:

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