Student Employment
Benefits
Being employed can be a big part of the college experience. Jobs provide a valuable environment to master time management, interpersonal skills, and prioritization. They can allow you to learn more about a certain field, build relationships with faculty and staff members, and add experience to your resume that may help you later on when you're trying to get an internship or full-time job. Supportive supervisors can further increase the benefits of student employment. In studies, students with encouraging bosses have scored better on measures of stress, depression, and anxiety.
Some data have even suggested that students with jobs related to their future career goals tend to have more academic success than their peers; however, these benefits often reverse for students who work more than 15-20 hours per week. Since over-working can have a negative impact on GPA, remember to appropriately balance your job with your school work and personal life.
Even with all of these benefits, when looking for a job as a student, remember that it's important to set yourself up for success and maintain a positive inset. Work-life balance is an issue that everyone faces, both in college and after they graduate. You have to decide what the right balance is for you, and acknowledge that it may change across time. Your health and well-being should come first; taking a lower-paying job or working fewer hours right now may help you better set yourself up for success later.
Looking For a Job?
If you're ready to explore some of these benefits, there are plenty of opportunities to work while getting your degree.
- The Northwestern University library offers positions for both students with Federal Work Study (FWS) and students without.
- Northwestern Career Advancement has also introduced QuadJobs, a central job portal for non-work study on-campus jobs and part-time or one-off jobs close to campus.
- If you would like to work for a faculty member or a department in an area you're interested in, consider reaching out to them directly to ask for employment opportunities. Many departments offer administrative or research positions to students.
- For students with FWS, you can find a list of job opportunities on the Federal Work-Study Jobs Page.
If you are an undergraduate student and you are not sure if you are eligible to participate in the Federal Work-Study program, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid.