Working on Campus
Working on campus is fast becoming a popular option among students. There are many perks that can help lighten the load for a struggling student. One of the main reasons work-study jobs are the best option is the fact that your salary will not be deducted from any scholarship or grant you may be receiving.

In fact, there is a federal law which states that 50 cents of every dollar you make will be added to the college’s estimate on your family’s finances. If your family can afford to pay, the college will cut down on the scholarship accordingly.

But, with work-study jobs, you won’t have to worry about that. Whatever you earn will be yours to keep, provided that you earned it on campus grounds. Off-campus job offers, rarely seen these days, due to the threat of global economic recession, should only be taken if the pay is lucrative and the job is convenient.

The Experience
The jobs that the university offers you are not just rewarding economically, but also give you the right sort of experience you need for your future. It’s a perfect symbiosis between the university and the student. The university gets help and the students get the proper know-how, and not to mention a little extra pocket money.

Several students, like Craig Faish of Indiana University in Pennsylvania, have taken this route. Faish moonlights as a dispatcher, helping the campus police. He runs car number plates, answers emergency calls and investigates break-ins. These aspects of the job will certainly assist him well in the future after he graduates with a degree in criminology. He says it also suits his nosey nature and he gets to know the officers of the local police department. He is only vexed at the long working hours given by the campus. This has caused him to miss some events, like homecoming.

The Pay
These work-study jobs, no matter what people say, pay you well. The universities are obliged to follow the minimum wage set by their respective states. These can range anywhere from $2.65 an hour to $10.50. It depends on the state and their individual sets of laws. Like any other jobs, there are bonuses and specific jobs that need particular skills pay better. Jobs like tutoring can rake in enough dough if you have many students.

The Satisfaction
Another excellent reason to opt for work-study jobs is the personal satisfaction you’ll get from working on something you enjoy. Donovan Daniel is a junior at IUP. He first worked as a dishwasher but quit on the same day he joined after finding out the pay. After a while, he took a job at the Office of Housing and Residence Life and fell in love with it almost immediately.

This job, according to Daniel, allows him to put his social and managerial skills to the test. Aside from doing paper work and other things at the office, he also gets to become a sounding board to the university’s troubled students. There is also an information technology student in the same university who works in the computer lab and fixes any problematic hardware.

The Fun
There are also quirky work-study jobs available. You just have to know where to look. The University of Pittsburgh boasts an exclusive ‘Telefact’ hotline which caters to students and is also manned by students. Callers can ask the operators any question, serious or just downright silly. There was even a question on how many blades of grass there are on the cathedral lawn, says Timothy Dempsey, a junior operator. The funny thing is; they actually gave the answer, 4,165,032,960. How they figured that is a mystery to everyone.

The Beauty of Work-Study Job for Students
Although some might think working while studying will bring down a student’s performance, it is not actually true. Studies indicate that students who have work-study jobs actually do better than their jobless counterparts. In fact, depending on the type of job, you might actually study more than the other students. Those working late shifts have always found some time to open their books and read.

However, as a precaution, universities impose a 20 hour maximum working limit per week. This has not deterred any new workers by the way. With all sorts of payments that most students have to pay on top of their rising living expenses, work-study jobs are going to become the norm.