Every year, The University of Alabama hires over 4,000 students for on-campus jobs. You see them everywhere on campus: baristas at Starbucks, front-desk assistants, sales associates at the SUPe Store, resident advisors, Avanti leaders, lifeguards, food servers, cashiers at the dining halls, or support staff at the University Recreation Center.
Though there are a wealth of part-time jobs in the greater Tuscaloosa community, on-campus jobs provide some students with commuting convenience and schedules that work around classes.
Trinity Stennfeld, a junior majoring in public relations, works both on and off-campus jobs as a photographer for ZAP Photography and as a barista at Java City.
“I love interacting with a wide variety of students and faculty members,” Stennfeld said. “Both jobs are accommodating to my class schedule as a student.”
Stennfeld said a benefit of working at Java City on campus is the ability to walk to work. Stennfeld also said she still has time to take 15 hours and be involved in a sorority and campus ministry.
“Working for ZAP requires a lot of planning and organizing my schedule, but it’s definitely doable,” Stennfeld said. “It’s a good experience for life lessons and how to juggle responsibilities.”
Alli Segal, a junior majoring in psychology, spends her time as a desk assistant at Tutwiler Hall. Segal said she got her job through other friends on campus who work there.
“I like getting to know the residents,” Segal said. “It’s challenging trying to be their friend but also look out for them as the desk assistant.”
Ellie Wortman, a sophomore majoring in nursing, works as a sports clubs supervisor at the University Recreation Center. Wortman assists and facilitates all sports clubs and events.
“I really enjoy working with athletes and people my own age on a regular basis and getting to watch sports while at work,” Wortman said.
Kelly Roy, a sophomore majoring in communicative disorders who works at Coldwater Creek, said some aspects of an off-campus job are negative, like the commute or the store not following UA’s schedule.
“You just have to learn time-management and how to get out of procrastination habits,” Roy said. “Luckily, there are few college students working there and a lot of my coworkers are willing to fill in for football games on Saturdays. The real problem for me is wanting to go home on holidays, because even though the University is closed, the store is still open.”
For more information on how to apply for jobs, contact Student Employment Services at (205) 348-2971 or [email protected] or the UA Office of Student Employment at (205) 348-4354 or [email protected]. You can also “like” UAStudentJobs on Facebook and follow @UAStudentJobs on Twitter.
