Work Study and How it Can Contribute to a Future Career

April 16, 2019

I hold three different student work positions at my college. I'm an office assistant in the Financial Aid Office, a student tutor, and also an admissions ambassador. None of these campus positions directly relate to what I want to do after college, but I know I'm developing person-to-person skills in each of my jobs.

In the year before coming to college, I received an email from the Student Work Office, advertising a position they had open. Eager to find a good job, I signed up for an interview time. A couple weeks later, I got an email saying that I had received the job and that I would start as soon as I settled in on campus. The first couple of weeks in the office were difficult. But every day, I came back because of the wonderful people. Every fall when I come back from summer break I'm greeted with hugs and excitement. Not only am I learning what it is like to work in an office setting but I'm discovering how to make professional and meaningful bonds with my supervisor and fellow student workers. Not many college students can say they have worked in one place for all four years and I'm proud to say I have a family and support system in the Financial Aid Office.

My other two jobs on campus relate more to my personality and my academic interests. As a admissions ambassador, I feel like I can give back to my college. I get to show off the amazing parts and also answer honest questions about life at a small university. I get to interact with people from all over the country and hear their stories. They tell me what they're interested in and I cater the tour to their needs. Leading tours gives me an opportunity to reflect on my four years at college in a way that I normally wouldn't.

My final position on campus has taught me about my passion toward teaching. I'm not an education major but I love working one-on-one with students. I've been learning German since I was five and now as a German major, I feel like I have a solid understanding of grammatical concepts. I like to teach the things that normally would be daunting in a class setting, with a sense of child-like fun. We do activities like songs and games to help the student learn hard subjects. Since I've been in the position, I have been thinking more and more about the possibility of being a language teacher as a profession.

All of these work-study positions have taught me how I want to enter any future career that I choose; with patience and kindness, engagement and excitement, and finally with passion. I'm not sure what that career will start after college but I am thankful for the opportunity that my college has given me to learn by experience.