My Part-time Job

Image from  blogs.loc.gov (Library of Congress website)

I'm blessed to have landed a part-time job here in school. And not just any part-time job, but one that pays higher than the hourly minimum wage, which, I think, is around $7.25. My job as a graduate assistant at the library is one of the higher-paid student jobs on campus.

What do I do? I sit at the reference desk, answer calls and inquiries from visitors, make sure the printers are full of paper, respond to paper jams and out-of-toner incidents, help students when they encounter technical problems with their computers, and assist students and visitors in their research. The job helps me practice my verbal skills in a pretty safe setting. Last semester, I worked night shifts. Sometimes the library would be really busy; sometimes not. When the shift was quiet, I could then bring out my books or laptop, and study then and there.

Does it affect my studies negatively? Not really. If anything, it clears my mind of MBA stuff and provides me time away from my group. (Trust me, you can have too much time spent with your group and it takes a toll on group output.) Also, as mentioned above, I can study or polish my internship applications during the shift if I'm not doing anything. Last semester, I worked six hours a week at night. I chose night shifts because day shifts interfered with classes, group work and extra-curricular activities. One of these shifts ended at midnight, and the disadvantage of that was that I would often be sleepy in my 8 AM class next day. This semester, I'll be taking on an 8-hour weekly workload, but at least I don't have 8 AM classes. I also scheduled my work on the weekends. Another thing I'm grateful about with my job is that I can adjust my work schedule as needed -- I can give my shift to another grad assistant and sometimes take his/her shift in exchange. We tell our bosses our available times at the start of the semester. I have an MBA classmate who worked 11-hour weeks last semester, and will be doing 12-hour weeks this spring.

How did I get it? I checked the school job board before coming here, and applied before the start of classes. I didn't make the cut initially, so I'm really grateful that the bosses decided to increase the number of graduate assistants.

What's the trade-off? Less time for myself and less "social" time. As mentioned in previous posts, the MBA is a very intense program, and working adds to the stress. Instead of heading home and getting a nap, you're off to work right after grueling case discussions and classes. Sometimes, I only get to do homework once I get home from work. But since I'll be working weekends this semester, I can probably get some more "me" time on weekdays.

NOTE - The F1 visa allows visa-holders to work only on campus for at most 20 hours a week for the first year. Details here: USCIS portal.