When meal points run out or the laundry fund is a quarter short and money from gifts, scholarships and summer jobs aren’t available, some students turn to part-time jobs.
Northwestern offers many work-study jobs to students by hosting a work-study job fair but doesn’t hold a job fair for students who aren’t work-study.
Students should try to find a job in downtown Evanston or look elsewhere on campus for work, said Lonnie Dunlap, director of University Career Services.
“(Students) need to know that the primary sources are: one, direct application to locations that might be hiring; two, look at postings on our MonsterTRAK job services Web site,” Dunlop said. “This is where we direct local employers seeking to hire students.”
She said University Career Services, Sports Pavilion Aquatic Center, University Library and other facilities are always looking for help. Students can inquire about jobs at the main desks of those facilities. Many of these jobs involve swiping cards or lifeguarding at SPAC.
Other students have found jobs on the flyers that are posted all over campus. McCormick senior Charles Lee got a job with the Information Technology Support Center in 2004.
“The jobs are available to those who are willing to make the sacrifice it takes to find work, hold the job, and manage the rest of their schedule as well,” he said.
Students can also find jobs in research laboratories working alongside professors. These research opportunities are usually funded by grants that pay the students for their work. These jobs are open to both work-study and non-work-study students and provide students with money or academic credit, depending on what the student and professor agree upon. All that is required for many of these jobs is an interest in the field and an inquiry into who researches what.
Those wishing to work outside the university can also try applying for service jobs at several downtown Evanston restaurants. These can sometimes pay better than on-campus jobs because servers can also earn tips. Irene Sics, who manages Kafein, 1621 Chicago Ave., said she is always looking for people and tends to pay $10 to $11 per hour including tips. But Communication freshman Peter Hsieh said he prefers not to work the late evening shifts, when coffee shop owners need workers the most.
“I’m usually sleep-deprived during the week, so working at night is out of the question,” he said.
Location is another factor in the job search, McCormick freshman Brian Kephart said.
“I wouldn’t want to walk an extra mile in the snow for an extra dollar of tip money,” Kephart said.
Reach Brian Regan at [email protected].
