My good friend is an RA in Nelson. Part of the job description for Resident Assistants at DU (and I think at college in general) is the responsibility of working desk shifts. Over many months, I began to resent my good friend because she seemed to get paid for doing the following:
-her homework
-watching movies
-checking Facebook
-texting
-absolutely nothing
And there I was, doing all those same things, yet not reaping the financial benefits. So I said to myself, “Self, the only way to make your bitterness cease is becoming a Desk Assistant too.” So I applied and got the position (praise God). To my amazement, I found out that you actually do stuff! My responsibilities as a Nelson Hall Desk Assistant, include:
-sorting mail packages
-troubleshooting technical issues surrounding the vending machine, printer, laundry machines, etc.
-answering phones
-helping residents with lockout keys
-completing paperwork
The list goes on, my friends. At the same time, I’m not too upset because I live in Nelson so “going to work” for me will involve walking down a few flight of stairs. How awesome is that? Actually, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of getting an on-campus job (if you decide to work) whenever possible. For one thing, you’ll never be impeded by bad weather because our campus is small enough to cover by foot. Also, on-campus administrators/supervisors (whether you’re a work study student in the library or a tour guide in Admissions) are sensitive to academic schedules. They (unlike your scary boss from __________) understand that you’re a student first, and an employee second.
So now I have both a newfound appreciation for my RA friend and a third campus job (in addition to working for the Admission office as a blogger and a part of the ACT). Sweet.
