Campus Jobs are Real Jobs Too!

Working throughout the college experience is a reality for most HBCU college students. If you are lucky enough to land one of the jobs on campus, I encourage you to take your work seriously. Campus jobs are real jobs too and should be taken seriously as legitimate opportunities to gain new skills, build your professional network and earn real money...without the commute.

Putting aside the schedule flexibility and the short commute, college students can gain the following real advantages by working in campus jobs.

1. Meet college and university staff beyond the classroom. Supervisors who are impressed by student workers are often willing to write letters of recommendation or provide professional references.

2. Gain real, marketable skills in your preferred career area. College campuses are just like other organizations with employees in pretty much every functional area. From public relations to food service to library services, there are thousands of campus jobs. Try to find one that fits your interest.

3. Learn how to execute an effective job search process.  Landing campus jobs is one of the first experiences college students have with independently walking through the job search process or connecting with the career center staff on campus.

4. Develop actual professional soft skills which are necessary for future workplace success. Office etiquette, workplace social savvy, communication skills, following instructions etc. are all valuable skills that college students need to learn.

Campus jobs are real jobs too and our HBCU college students need to use the opportunity to develop real networking relationships and real job skills.