Campus Jobs I’ve Held

I’ve been fortunate enough to work a wide array of campus jobs through Carleton’s generous work study program. This allows students to easily obtain an on-campus job and apply their earnings to their tuition, their bank account, or a combination of both. These experiences are great previews to jobs post-Carleton, and they also look great on a résumé. Come follow along on my employment journey!

Freshman Year: Dining Hall Staff

During my first year, I was assigned to work in one of Carleton’s dining halls. I worked during the lunch and dinner shifts, mostly as a food server. I also learned a bunch of other dining hall secrets: how to refill the milk machines, deconstruct the salad bar, and more. Above all else, this job was an inherently social one, and I really enjoyed being able to chat with my fellow workers in slower periods. Plus, students you serve are genuinely appreciative of the work you do, which was always a gratifying feeling.

Working in the dining halls is a common experience for first-year students, so this could be you!

Sophomore Year: Geology Department Assistant

The following year, I applied for a position within the college’s geology department. I hadn’t yet declared my geology major, but I was hoping that being a general assistant would help me make that decision while also giving me some fun insider-knowledge. I really enjoyed the variety that came with this job. By and large, I performed odd jobs for my boss as he saw fit. This included building a stool for one of the professors, delivering packages, and constructing kits for newly declared geology majors. One of the larger, overarching tasks was performing data entry for the thousands of rocks and minerals housed within the department. While this was tedious, it gave me really good experience with spreadsheet tips and tricks! I also really appreciated the ability to interact regularly with geology faculty, often before I ever took any classes with them.

If there’s any particular department or office you’d like to work for, don’t hesitate to reach out to them before the year begins. That was how I landed this position!

Junior Year: Campus Tour Guide

Last year, I started working as a tour guide with Carleton’s admissions office. This job has easily been my favorite. I’m the guy you see walking backwards around campus, showing students and their families all the wonderful amenities that Carleton has to offer. It has been invaluably rewarding to get to know interested students at a personal level, answer important questions about the college search process, and strengthen my leg muscles! Walking backwards is a new kind of workout.

During my senior year, I’ll return as a tour guide during winter and spring terms. Until then, you can find me working as a summer and fall admissions fellow, where I will continue to write blog posts like these! Stay tuned.

Jack a rising senior who holds a Geology major and a Math minor! One of Jack’s (he/him/his) primary extracurricular activities is as a mentor and event volunteer for Project Friendship. Project Friendship is a community partnership matching local elementary and middle school students with mentors, like Jack, at Carleton and St. Olaf colleges. You can also find Jack spending time at the Oak Grove in the Lower Arb, working on his social dance skills, and serving as the treasurer for the Academic Quiz Team!