Story by Katie Ericson
Photo by Luke Nankivell

In today’s economy, jobs are important and valuable. Students are all aware of this due to the fact that they are in college working toward said jobs, but what can they do about this while in college? Courses are helpful, but now employers are looking more and more for experience rather than grades. Luckily, Drake University has a solution: on-campus jobs.

Whether it is in the Bell Center, Hubbell, the administrative offices, the Student Life Center or one of the residence halls, there are plenty of opportunities on campus for students to work and gain valuable experience while making some extra money. They are open to all majors and provide a vast range of opportunities.

“Once you get one job on campus, I feel as though it is easy to accumulate more,”  Bailey Cernohous, a junior lifeguard and recreational monitor at the Bell Center, said.

These jobs are scattered around campus, yet they can sometimes be difficult to find. Sophomore Taylor Rookaird has a few suggestions.

“Start by contacting the supervisors of the positions you’re interested in and they can let you know if they are looking to hire or not,” she said. Rookaird got her job as a complex manager at the Bell Center her freshman year after filling out a work-study form.

The beauty of these jobs is that they are a middle point between class work and a full job. Both Cernohous and Rookaird mentioned that they had plenty of time to do homework while working at their job. Sophomore Krista Allbee, who is an office assistant, agreed.

“I enjoy working at my on campus job because it’s convenient. I work with nice people and am getting to know my future professors a bit, and I can even get homework done,” Allbee said.

Work-study forms are filled out at the human resources department. They state that you are interested in earning money to help pay for your school expenses. If interested in on-campus jobs, contact the department at 1-800-44-DRAKE, extension 3741 or Debra Wiley at [email protected].

In addition to these professional perks, on campus jobs pay $7.25 an hour. The hours are usually between eight and 12 a week. If interested you should contact someone at a place you want to work at, such as the Bell Center or Student Life Center, and ask if they are hiring. You can also go to Career BluePrint on BlueView and look for on-campus jobs.