Jobs on Campus

 As new students come to Main Campus in the fall, many of them will be looking for part-time jobs. It can often feel overwhelming finding part-time jobs at such a large campus and with so many people seemingly competing for that one position. But we are here to tell you that there are a variety of job positions, and it is completely possible to start earning a little pocket money your very first semester on campus.

 

An envoy for Team H, Shivani, is a Learning Assistant for an introductory computer science course, CMPSC 132 (very excited to see all the Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Electrical Engineering majors in that course!) She has had this job since her second semester and is working through the summer as well.

 

First things first, it’s always good to look at the kind of job that you might be interested in taking on. There is no one-size-fits-all part-time job for full-time college students. Creating a list of your priorities as a college student can be a helpful first step! For most students this includes gaining experience in collaboration, exposure to your major, getting closer to a professor and improving your network, flexible schedules, regular study sessions and academics, or even just earning as much money as possible.

 

Once you have your priorities set down and an idea of how much time you might have to dedicate to your job during the week, then we can look at actual jobs.

 

Some examples of jobs on-campus are

 

1.               HUB Dining

 

 

Students at HUB Dining work for various places like Blue Burrito, McAllister’s Deli, Panda Express, Jamba Juice, Burger King, Hibachi-San, Starbucks, Sbarro, Slim Chickens. Job Openings for HUB Dining are announced on the LiveOn website or at walk-in hiring events during the semester.

 

Most students who work here work three days a week for a few hours each, but it can get a little busy during some times of day! These jobs are paid opportunities.

 

2.               Learning Assistant and Graders

 

Towards the end of a PSU course, students get an email from the professor detailing any openings in Learning Assistant positions. Then, you can fill out the form and apply for those positions. For these jobs, it is recommended to get an A or a B grade in that course. It also helps to know the professor and for the professor to know you. In such a large campus and with so many classes, most professors don’t know everyone in the class so, for them to want to hire you, I recommend expressing an interest in the course and being an LA for the course to the professor.

 

The job description typically varies between different courses but usually consists of attending classes and helping students with concept clarification. It can also include grading responsibilities, extra study sessions, and office hours. These jobs are usually for-credit opportunities.

 

3.               Residence Hall

 

a.               Resident Assistant

 

This job involves living on campus and enforcing university and residence hall rules and regulations. RAs help in responding to complaints, reports, requests, and emergencies. They are also tasked with helping students interact well with their dorm mates and adjusting to campus life. This job also requires extensive training and a course to be taken. The job openings usually open up towards the end of the year. There is at least one RA per floor. Penn State pays for housing and meal plan for RAs and well as providing a single room for them.

 

b.               Housing Area Markets and Edge

 

The Markets at each housing area (Pollock, North South, East, and West) hire front desk workers for checkout. Students are also hired to work at the Edge, a coffee shop at each housing area. These are paid opportunities.

 

c.               Dining Commons

Students who work at the dining commons wash dishes, set up dining hall serving counters, replenish the beverage and condiment stations, serve food in portion sizes, operate kitchen equipment, and assist with inventory and delivery.

 

Job Openings for the Dining Commons are announced on the LiveOn website or at walk-in hiring events during the semester. It is a paid opportunity.

 

4.               LEAP Mentor

 

 

A LEAP Mentor is a current undergraduate student (not applicable for first year students) who assists incoming first-year students enrolled in the LEAP program with their transition to Penn State during Summer Session II. The mentor plans social and academic programming for their pride throughout the summer. This programming includes activities to help the students get to know each other, learn about campus resources, and the State College community. Mentors also plan study sessions and other academic activities for their LEAP Pride.

 

It is not necessary to have taken LEAP courses your first year to be a LEAP mentor.

 

5.               Campus Recreation

 

a.               Outdoor Events

b.               Competitive Sports

c.               Fitness and Wellbeing

d.               Tennis

e.               Facility and Operations

f.                Membership

g.               Stone Valley Recreation Area

 

For more detailed information, you can refer to this link.

 

6.        Center for Arts and Crafts

 

 

If any of you are artistically inclined and enjoy teaching art to other people, working at the arts and crafts center might be the job for you. While you can apply for the job via Penn State’s job application website, the better way might be to check out the center at the Ritenour Building in front of the HUB. You can ask the instructors there about available positions as well as ask any questions you may have about the application and the job.

 

That was how one of our envoys, Christina got her job as a calligraphy instructor. She stopped by to grab a free coloring book with one of her friends and got asked about her art medium of choice. For her job, she designed a curriculum for a 3 part class that ended in a final project and taught beginners how to hand letter their own art piece.

 

a.               Art Instructor

b.               Summer Art Camp Instructor

 

7.               Communications and Marketing

 

Student interns work in areas like marketing, PR, journalism, photography, social media, digital analytics, videography, and graphic design. They can work on projects for a variety of departments like University Health Services, Campus Recreation, Career Services, Student Activities, Diversity Offices and much more. There are for-credit or paid opportunities.

 

Many students also work off-campus at downtown stores and restaurants. Those places usually have hiring signs posted outside their buildings and go through a regular hiring process.

 

Some potential places downtown where students can work are

 

1.               McDonald’s restaurant

2.               Auntie Anne’s

3.               Snap Pizza

4.               Mr. Wish

5.               Downtown Student Bookstore

6.               Family Clothesline

7.               McLanahan’s

8.               Lions’ Pride

9.               Harper’s clothing store

10.           Connections

11.           Urban Outfitters

12.           Target

13.      Yallah Taco

14.      The Waffle Shop

15.      UPS Store

16.      Wegmans

17.      Insomnia Cookies

 

Research is a wonderful way to not only find a job on campus but gain experience in what could be a future career! Whether you begin with research within or outside of your major, the skills you gain will always be valuable and applicable for future job searching. Sydney, a Mentor for Team H has had extensive research experience, which has been a critical part of her journey to becoming a stronger student and contributor to scientific inquiry.

 

However, research can be an overwhelming topic that can be difficult to navigate alone, which is why you have wonderful mentors and envoys to support you! Both Christina and Sydney were able to get started out in Research Labs by applying for the PA Space Grant Consortium Research Internship. This allows you to fill out an application and rank professors within the program. The process will match you with a professor, beginning a two-semester internship. The Undergraduate Research and Fellowship website, linked here, can be a great place to start looking for similar programs or professors who are looking for students to apply! This approach can be combined with searching for professors in your area of interest, emailing them to express your interest in their research, and understanding what opportunities they may have available in their lab for undergraduate students. Please do not get discouraged if you get few responses, professors can be very busy and have little time to respond to students.

 

From experience, one of our biggest suggestions that can help with finding research is by finding a personal connection with your future research mentor. This often may happen by taking their course, and inquiring about the work they do within their labs! However, everyone has their own unique journey to research and it may take some time to find your path.

 

The biggest thing to gain out of any future research, or job that you may obtain throughout college and your future career, is to know your worth and not be afraid to ask questions! Talk with upper-class students and those you trust to ensure your compensation is fair for the work that you do. Your time is extremely valuable and it is important to make sure that you always get paid for the work that you complete. It is always okay to move on from a lab if you wish to learn more about a different type of research and aren’t enjoying the work any longer. No matter what the experience looks like, there is always something to gain and learn.

 

We truly wish you the best of luck when looking for a job on or off-campus and throughout your time at Penn State. The WEP Community is always here to support you in the endeavors that you pursue.

 

We all cannot wait to see the amazing things that you accomplish!

 

Team H, WEPO 2022

Sydney, Connie, Christina, and Shivani