Blog post written by Hunter Amo
As a student who has worked on campus at two different colleges in three different positions, I find student employment to be a beneficial way to work through college; however, not all students share the same view. A common question surrounding student employment is this: “Can people really work on campus while being a full-time student?” This is a viable concern, especially since the average full-time student is taking 3-5 classes (“full-time” refers to more than 12 credit hours, up to 18). But between flexible working hours and understanding faculty members, I haven’t encountered a problem balancing my work, school, and social life—still, I knew that my own experiences weren’t enough to get the full picture on student employment. Digging deeper, I interviewed three student employees from different departments at UM-Dearborn to hear their raw, unfiltered opinions on their jobs. This is what I found.
Andrew Marshall is an Admissions Blogger working under the marketing department. He performs interviews, research, and contacts external sources to create compelling content for incoming first-year and transfer students. His job involves writing engaging pieces that inform and entertain students considering attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Noah Jacobs is a Student Technician in the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Lab (MSEL). He rotates between helping students with their engineering projects, checking lab equipment (including 3-D printers and saws), and keeping in contact with his fellow coworkers to ensure operations run smoothly. His top priority as a student technician is to support other students and make their dream engineering blueprints become a reality.
Janvi Patel is both a Lab Assistant in the Department of Natural Sciences and a Supplemental Instructor (SI) for BIOL 130: Introduction to Organismal and Environmental Biology. She takes the lead in setting up labs, including prepping lab materials, maintaining inventory, keeping records, and cleaning equipment—she also performs real microbiology tasks such as culture preparation and streak plating. As an SI, she facilitates group study sessions with students and works with the professor to guarantee that no student falls behind in such complex topics.
After short interviews with these students, I noticed three core ideas that stood out as benefits to working as a student employee. Specifically, Andrew, Noah, and Janvi all noticed greater flexibility in scheduling, the practical, real-world application of an on-campus job, and the many opportunities they have to network and build relationships within their trade. Here’s what they had to say on these topics.
Student employment is an amazing opportunity—it’s flexible and gives you real experience while still being manageable. - Andrew
UM-Dearborn works around your schedule, not the other way around
The University of Michigan-Dearborn understands that students are students first—your academic goals are the top priority. Unlike other part-time jobs that require you to choose between your education and wages, UM-Dearborn is strict in making sure students have all of the tools (and time) necessary to both work and study. Job locations are also quite flexible, with some student jobs taking place remotely. Andrew, our blog writer, says that, “Working from home allows me to manage my job while staying on top of my homework.” Noah also notes that, “The flexibility in scheduling is a massive advantage—it ensures I can manage my course load without sacrificing income.” With a cap of 29 hours per week for domestic students and 20 hours for international students, they won’t become overwhelmed with work and have the opportunity to put their studies first—all while earning some cash on the side. Those working on campus also benefit from its location, as they can seamlessly move from class to work. Janvi emphasizes this when she said, “Student employment allows me to stay involved on campus while still focusing on my academic goals.”
Student employment isn’t just “busy work”
Rather, it’s about learning by doing. Campus jobs can align with your career goals and complement your coursework, providing you with more experience and real-world job practice. This gives you a great advantage when interacting with potential future employers. Getting your hands dirty—whether it’s in an engineering lab like Noah’s or by interviewing students and professionals like Andrew—helps prepare you for a meaningful career long before graduation. All three interviewees were surprised by the impact of campus jobs when it comes to building career skills. Janvi says, “I thought student employment would be limited to routine tasks. Instead, I discovered meaningful responsibilities—teaching, handling lab equipment, and performing microbiology techniques.” This directly correlates to her major and dreams to work in the microbiology field. In fact, Janvi was able to secure a job as a Lab Technician at Corewell Health, which she says her experience as a student employee “directly helped” her with.
Noah and Andrew share Janvi’s beliefs in the day-to-day experiences that contribute to career-level impacts. “Without hands-on manufacturing experience,” said Noah, “You risk designing ideas that aren’t feasible in the real world.”
Andrew adds, “This job is helping me become a stronger writer and build experience that will be valuable for my career.”
Student employment will help you in ways you might not expect—it opens doors you didn’t even know were there. - Janvi
Supportive coworkers, faculty, and new meaningful connections build a community
UM-Dearborn’s student jobs are meant to help students discover where they are headed while giving them a place to belong. For these three students, student employment feels like home. Janvi is an international student who was “very shy” at the beginning of her studies at UM-Dearborn. However, through her job as a lab assistant and supplemental instructor, she says that she has become “more confident—not just academically, but personally.” Student employment at UM-Dearborn doesn’t just open the doors to new career opportunities, but also to new friends, coworkers, and bosses who care about your academic and interpersonal journeys. Andrew, when talking about his new boss, said that, “I’ve been most surprised by how understanding and caring my supervisor is… she genuinely wants students to succeed.”
And Noah, who moved here from Grand Rapids, talked about his struggles with finding a community to belong to in a city that he was unfamiliar with. “Honestly, a huge motivator for me wanting an on-campus job was simply to meet new people,” he admitted. “Moving to Dearborn for college felt like a really big change since I didn’t have any friends here already.” Between the support from his coworkers, faculty at the MSEL, and newfound friends, Noah says that he finally feels “like I’ve gained a family away from home.”
The takeaways
Overall, I was surprised to see that so many of my peers share the same beliefs regarding student employment as I do: it’s convenient and beneficial to our professional development. These three students have a mature understanding of how their campus jobs can help them achieve lifelong career goals. From Janvi’s real-world application of her student jobs by working at Corewell Health to Noah designing and testing tangible engineering projects, my group of interviewees are certainly preparing for a life beyond college. Their answers solidify that student employment is indeed more than a paycheck; it's a friendly community, a professional network, and a foundation for the future.
Are you looking for a valuable job while being a student at UM-Dearborn? Check out the U-M Careers website, where you can use the given filters to find a job that is right for you. There is more than writing and labwork to be done here—some other student jobs include working in IT, becoming a grader for your professor, watering and taking care of the plants at the Environmental Interpretive Center, and working in the athletic department to help support games, events, and maintenance work.
Still not sold on a campus job? Take Noah’s words as some food for thought, and you might want to reconsider: “I wouldn’t just recommend it—I think an on-campus job is an absolute must.”
