5 Tips for Having a Job in College

Going into college, my parents told me (and my siblings when they started) that we did not have to have a job while we were in school, our job was to be students and to work hard in our classes. I am very fortunate to not have to work through school, but I started an on campus job this past year and I highly recommend to anyone. Here's what you need to know about having a job in college.

I'll start off by explaining a little bit about my job and why I started working. About a year ago, I got an email saying I was eligible to apply to be a tutor with athletic academic services. I had considered having a job in college, but didn't want something that would be too stressful on my schedule. The email advertised that it was flexible hours and we could work around our schedules while being paid above minimum wage, so it sounded like a great deal to me. I applied, had a skype interview, and was hired on before I got back to school in the fall. I spent both semesters junior year working as a tutor to student athletes and I loved it. There are definitely trying times, but I really enjoyed working with these athletes and getting to know them, while helping them understand their particular subject. There are a lot of specifics related to my job that I won't get into, but I have had a great experience as a tutor and highly recommend it to anyone. Of course there a ton of different jobs you can have in college so here are my tips and advice so that having a job can be the most beneficial experience for you.

| Find a job you're interested in |

Now there are a ton of on and off campus jobs around any university, but they are not all created equally. If you can, find a job that works with your career plans. My best friend is an elementary education major and spent the past two years as a preschool teacher aide. My boyfriend works an engineering internship part time during the school year. There are tons of opportunities out there that will add to your career experience and make you excited to go to work. While I don't have plans to do any sort of teaching in the future, I liked the idea of working with fellow students and helping them. If you're not interested or excited about your job, you're going to dread going and it'll just be more of a strain on your schedule.

| Make sure they'll work with your schedule |

This is essential. As a college student, you are a student first and foremost. That's something that my boss reminds us of continually, our classes and well being come first. If you're having to duck out of class early or stay up all night to study because of your work schedule, consider finding something else or talking to your boss. You and your school work are more important than a job. If it's adding too much stress to work so many hours, talk to your boss about scaling back.

| Look into on campus opportunities |

I don't know about every school, but Clemson has a million on campus part time jobs or internships. It's worth looking into. I have friends that work in the dean's office, do research internships, tutor in the academic support center, work at the campus Starbucks (don't necessarily recommend this one though), and numerous other campus jobs. Being able to duck into work before, after, or between classes is so much easier when the job is on campus. I would regularly have tutoring sessions during a class break or before classes in the morning. It helped me stay on top of my work and be more productive during the day.

| Talk to your boss |

This one applies more once you have a job, but it doesn't hurt to be very transparent during your interview. I remember my coordinator asked during my interview if I had any questions and I did. There are lots of rumors about working with athletes and how much we're supposed to help them get through classes so I was nervous about what would be expected of me and she explained how important academic integrity is and that I would never be asked to compromise my integrity, and if I ever felt as if I was being put in such a situation to come tell her immediately. Through that conversation, she made me feel so much more comfortable about doing the job. Another great thing my boss does (honestly I could sing her praises forever, she's the best) is end of semester check ins where she meets with all the tutors to do a performance review and see how we feel. During this meeting in the fall, I discussed how many hours I was working and that it was pretty stressful and she encouraged me to take on fewer hours in the spring. Your boss isn't going to know if you're stressed or having issues if you don't tell them. Chances are there are other students working there and they will totally understand.

| Don't forfeit your social life |

I was majorly guilty of this in the fall. I worked usually 15 hours per week, mostly at night, so I was at the tutor center 5 nights a week, usually until 9 or 10pm. Since I was mostly working at night, I could get all my school work done during the day, but I sacrificed a lot of time with my friends and boyfriend. Working those hours made it almost impossible to get dinner in general, let alone with friends, and by the time I got off at 10pm, I would be too tired to go or stay very long at sorority events on week nights. Like I've said, make sure you're putting yourself before your job. While college is meant for higher education, the social aspects are huge and you don't want to miss out on anything because of your work schedule. This spring I had a class until 6pm twice a week so I put down that I wouldn't work those nights, this majorly helped with my work-life-school balance.

So those are my tips for having a job in college! Do you have any expert advice to share? I would love to hear it in the comments.

Changing Perspective

Hey there, sweet friend!

Lately, I've had a lot of thoughts running through my head about this blogging world, followers, comparison, motivation (or the lack thereof), but I couldn't seem to get them all straight until I was thinking about these topics again while in the shower - the birthplace of all major breakthroughs right? And it all clicked, so here is what I realized.

So let's start off, coming off of this holiday weekend there is something we are all so guilty of, and no I don't mean indulging in one too many patriotic treats, I mean comparison. At any point in the past few days, did you scroll through some form of social media and think "wow! Look at that vacation they're on, I've never even heard of that place, I wish I could be somewhere like that," what about "oh...they're all at that party together, I wasn't invited to the party, they must not like me very much."  I can guarantee you that I had some very similar thoughts, and I absolutely love the way my family spends the Fourth of July every year. Comparison is at the root of these thoughts, and we all know that comparison is the thief of all joy. Want to know why?

These thoughts of comparison, of not being good enough, of not being wanted, are not thoughts from God. They are thoughts planted by a very real enemy that we face every single day. This is what clicked for me in the shower. It might not seem very groundbreaking, but man that realization just about rocked my world. The enemy uses comparison to make you feel less than, unloved, unwanted. But sweet girl, that is not true!!!! I can't even stress that enough. You are so incredibly loved by a man who loved you so much He was willing to die so that you may live. That's some pretty incredible love. And don't you think it would break His heart that some pictures on social media are enough to make you forget you are made perfect in His image? It breaks my heart, and I'm guilty of having those thoughts so often.

It's hard to not fall into this trap of comparison when it is constantly pushing on us, like I said, this is a battle we have to fight each and every day, especially in this digital age, and especially if you're like me and have decided to immerse yourself further in the digital world by creating a blog, social media accounts for said blog, and following other blogs. I'm just kind of asking to be crushed by the weight of comparison, aren't I? But even if you're not neck deep in digital media, you face this every day too. Whether you're comparing yourself to some celebrity, a blogger you admire, your sorority sister, or your best friend's cousin's girlfriend that you secretly creep on Instagram because she seems so perfect (don't even pretend like you haven't done this, we've all been there), comparison is comparison and it hurts no matter what. But it only hurts if we let it hurt us.

At youth camp one year, the camp pastor talked about seeing people through "Jesus Goggles" - meaning we need to love others and see the positives in them even if others can't, the same way Jesus did when he encountered those that usually wouldn't be treated very well. I think we need to put our Jesus Goggles on when we get on social media, because it's all about perspective. Instead of being jealous that your sorority sister spent the summer jet-setting around Europe with her study abroad program, think of how amazing of an experience she's having and make a mental note - or even a real note - to ask her about it when you see her at your recruitment workshop because she probably has some cool stories and she's going to think it's really special that you made a point to ask about her trip. Or instead of getting upset when you see how many more followers another blogger has than you and that you must not be doing something right with your social media, think "wow! It's so amazing that she has such a large platform to share God's love" - this is what I've started to think when I start to envy bloggers like Kate, Rachel, Katey, or Dani, they truly let His love shine through their platforms. Can you even imagine how wonderful and positive social media would be if we approached it with our Jesus Goggles on?  

We get so wrapped up in numbers of followers, hits, and page views, and comparing our numbers to someone else that we forget to appreciate those we do have. Someone I follow tweeted that she could get upset that she has 57 followers, a small number when compared to others who have thousands or millions, but instead she was so excited by the 57 people that care about what she has to say. Wow! Talk about amazing perspective, that's what got the wheels turning on this whole post. After reading those tweets I realized how unappreciative I am. I have over 400 twitter followers, and this week I hit a major milestone of 9000 views of this blog. Now I don't give these stats to brag, but to help you understand the perspective I had. Because I saw those numbers and to me they weren't good enough, weren't high enough. I bet you can guess why by now, comparison. (I can honestly keep beating this drum all day because it's just that true and prevalent) Instead of being frustrated that I don't have thousands of followers, I should be thankful that there are 400 people that care about what I have to say, that may even find me entertaining. 400 people that I have the ability to minister to EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. All because they follow me on social media. And 9000 page views? That's 9000 times I could've shared the love of Christ with someone. That's huge! HUGE! But the massiveness of those numbers and the platform I have created for myself where I can speak truth and light into the world is entirely lost on me, because of the seeds of comparison that have been planted by the enemy.

Well no more, my dear - at least that's the end goal, this is a major life perspective to change over night, it's going to take work. But if you have read through all of my late night ramblings about a not so radical thought that popped into my head, I want to take this opportunity to thank you. Thank you so much for reading my words and caring what I have to say. This comparison trap is a dangerous thing and I truly pray that you're not falling victim to it, but if you are feel free to email me (alittleashley18@gmail.com) and we can chat about it. After all, if we're not spending all of our time comparing ourselves, we can invest that time in building a strong community. 

Just remember, you are so incredibly loved, by our Savior and by this crazy girl in Texas with a laptop who is tired of girls telling ourselves that we are not good enough, because you are more than enough.