Best Jobs for Graduate Students
Many graduate students are looking for part-time jobs in order to pay their bills and advance their professional career. It can be a daunting task to find a job that you can do alongside your academic responsibilities. You are often limited to part-time jobs with flexible hours. Moreover, many grad students generally have no employment history. Given these limitations, the job search can feel incredibly challenging! Luckily, there are many different part-time jobs for college students. These will provide you with extra income while enhancing your resume and employment prospects.
1. Platforms, listings, and networking
There are various platforms that you can use to network and find job listings. College Recruiter is a platform designed specifically for students and a great place to find part-time jobs for college students.
Other widely used platforms include LinkedIn, Indeed, and Monster.
2. Academia jobs vs regular part-time jobs
If you are interested in academia jobs, you should approach your university and ask whether there are any jobs available in your discipline. The benefit of an academia job in your discipline is that it will boost your resume.
However, academia jobs are limited to those offered by your university. If you are unable to secure an academia job, there are many regular part-time jobs. These are great ways to learn new skills and gain some working experience.
3. Professional internships and co-ops
Internships provide you with practical skills in your area of study. However, they are often unpaid. Therefore, if you are seeking an internship to earn money, you must just make sure that you apply to paid internships.
Co-ops are a method of graduate study in which students take college courses as well as work in their particular field. Often, students take college courses for a semester and then work for the next semester. This provides practical training as well as an income.
4. Research Assistant
Not only do research assistants help professors with their research, but they can also help to build, plan, and execute research projects themselves. This can give you the chance to work with experts in your discipline and gain some valuable experience.
5. Teaching assistant
Like we mentioned above, teaching assistants help professors teach their undergraduate classes. It’s worth seeing if any professors in your department need help as you will be able to test your knowledge on your field of study while earning some income.
6. Field researcher
Being a field researcher involves collecting raw data for studies. Each study is different so being a field researcher is a great way to earn money if you like variety in your job!
7. Lab assistant
If you are studying a discipline that makes use of a laboratory, being a lab assistant is another job option for you. It will provide you with more exposure to laboratory work while earning an income at the same time.
8. Junior research analyst
Being a junior research analyst is a great way to hone your analytical skills while earning an income at the same time. If you are considering a future career as an academic or researcher, being a junior research analyst is the perfect part-time job for you.
9. Tutor
If you performed well in certain subjects at school or university, you could tutor high school or university students. You could either tutor for the college, sign up with a tutoring agency, or find your own clients.
10. Library assistant
Library assistants typically work behind the desk, stack shelves, take inventory, and answer questions. There is often lots of down-time for you to work on your academics between tasks.
11. Test prep
Helping high school students prepare for their SATs is another way to earn some extra money. You have already taken the test and likely did well. You can either sign up with a test prep company or find your own clients.
12. Update your Resumé
Regardless of which of these part-time jobs for college students you hope to pursue, you will need to update your resumé. It is advised to keep your resumé to one page. Do not put any irrelevant experience and skills or it will look like fluff. Consider the job you are applying for and tailor the content on your resumé accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Although finding a job during grad school can be a daunting task, there are many different part-time jobs for college students available. Remember, you might not always get your ideal job. So, apply to a few of these jobs to improve your chances. If you get more than one job offer, try and choose the job that would best enhance your resumé and improve your skillset in your discipline.