I’m not going to lie, I’m really busy here on campus. I tend to have troubles telling people ‘no,’ so I’m now involved in far too many student orgs here‒which can be taxing, even if I love what I do. Despite being so busy, though, I still make time to have an off-campus job. This is something that’s really important to me, so I thought I would explain why.
The first reason is that my job gives me a sense of purpose. I work at a nursing home, so I get to connect with my residents and feel like I am doing something really important. As hard as this job can be sometimes, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything right now. In this technological day and age, being able to have a meaningful conversation with the elderly is something I value.
Also, I get to meet people outside the Gustavus bubble. Every student here has an understanding of how isolated we are. Leaving campus means you are going to expand your worldview, and thus become a more well-rounded person. It’s not only good for you to do this, it’s necessary. You’ll never survive the real world if you don’t break off campus every now and then. Learning to manage real-world responsibilities now will make your transition after college so much easier.
Finally (and most obviously) it supplements my income. I also have a campus job, but working off-campus helps me save up for all the big things I want to do, like study abroad and go on trips with Habitat for Humanity. This year, I will be able to do both of those things because of all the extra hours I’ve put in at the nursing home. I feel really lucky for this, because I know it’s not something everyone is able to do.
I would encourage everyone to consider getting an off-campus job. There’s so many benefits, and there’s plenty of places that are willing to work with your college schedule. So go grab some applications and start making that extra money!!!