Part-Time College Jobs: What to Look For & Avoid

You're enrolled in college, preparing for the career of your dreams. Between attending classes, taking tests, and reading assignments, you’ve got a full schedule. But you might make time for work.

A part-time job could be just the thing you need to really succeed once you've achieved your diploma. You’ll need to choose the right position carefully, and there are quite a few pitfalls to avoid on your way to employment bliss.

It's not at all unusual for students to work, says the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2020, more than 70% of part-time students had a job, and 40% of full-time students also had workplace obligations.

There are plenty of exceptional reasons to augment your classes with work.

Holding down a job while you're in school could help you to:

• Gain valuable job experience. When you graduate and sit down to write your first resume, will you have any job experience to describe? If all you do is study, your resume will be a bit blank. With work, everything changes.
  
• Pay current expenses. You won't fully cover tuition and expenses with part-time work. But working a part-time job can help offset ancillary costs such as room and board, car or phone payments, and the cost of eating out or getting delivery.
  
• Develop time management skills. When you graduate, you'll need to manage the demands of your job, family, friends, and more. You'll learn how to juggle competing demands while you work as a student.
  
• Reduce your student debt load. Some loan programs allow you to borrow enough to cover your tuition and living expenses. If you work part-time, you might be able to borrow a little bit less.
  

If you're looking for a job while you're in school, you are in luck. There are plenty of jobs that offer decent pay, flexible hours, and lots of real-life experience.

These are just a few examples of jobs that are popular with college students.

If you're planning to work in the health care industry after school, working as a nursing assistant can help you to understand what patient care is really like. You'll provide care for patients in hospitals and nursing homes, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says you'll make more than $14 per hour. You'll need to take a class and get certified to get started, but many facilities offer those classes to new hires, and they may even pay you to take them.

Perhaps caring for animals suits you better than caring for humans. In this job, you'll clean cages, walk dogs, and help veterinarians or shelter managers handle their furry charges. Or maybe you'll work on a ranch or farm and assist with livestock or horses. Animal caretakers can be found in kennels, zoos, stables, animal shelters, pet stores, veterinary clinics, and even aquariums. The BLS says you'll make over $13 per hour, and you don't need an enhanced education to get started. This is a great job if you hope to work in veterinary medicine, animal welfare, agriculture, or a related field.

As a waiter or waitress, you'll have the opportunity to gain invaluable customer service skills, build your multitasking abilities, and work in a vibrant, fast-paced environment. With flexible scheduling options, you can easily balance your studies while earning money. Plus, the tips you receive can be a rewarding bonus. Just be sure to avoid establishments with a history of poor management or excessive workload demands. You'll make about $12 per hour, says the BLS, and you don't need a special education to get started. Every day, you'll develop exceptional customer service and sales skills.

If you have exceptional writing, graphic design, or web design skills, you can put them to work before you graduate. Among freelancers, 64% found their jobs online, experts say. Most freelancers choose the work because they need flexible schedules and decent pay. As a bonus, you'll develop a portfolio you can showcase when you start looking for permanent work.

If you hope to work in pediatric medicine, K-12 education, or in another field with kids, this job is for you. Take care of children from another family, and earn an estimated $13 per hour, says the BLS. Be upfront with your class schedule, and you could find a family willing to accept your time when it's open and make other arrangements when it's not. You don't need a degree to be a babysitter or nanny.

There are many, many more jobs out there that could appeal to students, but these ideas should get your creative juices flowing.

While plenty of jobs could appeal to college students, you'll need to ensure that you don't make a mistake as you search. Getting your diploma is your most important goal. The wrong job could make that tough.

A bad college job choice will:

• Demand too much of your time. College students do best when they work 15 hours per week or less. You'll be likely to maintain your grades, and you won't be at risk of dropping out. Work more than 15 hours, and you could jeopardize your academic success.
  
• Not have flexibility. You'll need extra time to do your classwork; sometimes, your schedule will shift. For example, meeting with your classmates for team projects could be tricky if your boss won't let you out of a shift.
  
• Make you turn off your brain. The best college jobs are within your preferred field, experts say. The work you do can set the stage for your future career. If you're stuck in a dead-end job and not learning while on the clock, this isn't the best job for you.

You should also look for work that you love. Heading off to pick up a shift while studying can be taxing. It's easier to make the time when you're doing something you enjoy.

You're ready to work, and you know what to look for. Where should you start?

Finding the right college job can take a little persistence, and it's best to start early. When classes start, everyone else at your school will be searching too. But there are plenty of resources to help in your search.

Consider tapping into:

• Your school's financial aid office. Administrators may have a list of local businesses ready and willing to hire students just like you. Ask for help there, and if nothing comes up, press staff members to look on behalf of students like you.
• Your community. More than half of all college students have a car, according to experts. If you rely on your feet to move you around, use them to help you find a job. Walk through the business section of your town, knock on doors, and even physically drop off your resume.
  
• LinkedIn. This booming social media site is made for job hunters and employers to connect. Build a profile that describes who you are and the work you want, and this site can also suggest jobs you might like.
  
• Use online job aggregators. Websites like ours help you look for jobs that are just right for you, and you don't have to live in the town to get started. If you're hoping to find a job long before class starts, this could be ideal.

Don't give up! The right job is out there. Just start digging to find it.