By Megan Kirk, College Adviser, Clyde C. Miller Career Academy
Students who have significant financial need and who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are often offered the chance of a Federal Work Study position, which is money that does not need to be paid back. The amount varies, but can be around $2,000-$5,000 per year in exchange for part-time work. The government pays a portion of your tuition as long as you work on campus, and you also earn paychecks. Getting a work study position is different at each college or university. Some require you to apply like you would for an off-campus job, some are given automatically, and some are given through a lottery system and not guaranteed. There may not be a guarantee for the type of job you work, either. Mine was given automatically on a partial lottery system.
My work study position was in the administrative office of the Jewish, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies department, and later I held a secondary position in Religious Studies across the hall. I helped maintain the office, stocked paper, filled copy machines, and made copies, but in doing that I also helped faculty with research, had use of the building’s keys, and maintained after hours swipe access for evening events with catering. I had great relationships with my bosses, and they helped launch me into the field I am in now by writing stellar recommendations after I had worked for them for four years.
Before I lose myself in reminiscing, I should probably detail a little bit about what the entire process looked like for me when I started. There’s a single question on the FAFSA that asks if you are interested in work study. The options are “yes,” “no”, and “I don’t know.” I know most kids have no idea what work study means, and the name reminds me of prison work, so “I don’t know” is a pretty standard answer, but DON’T DO IT! The answer should always be YES so that you can be considered for a work study position and the extra money it could bring you. You can turn it down later if you don’t want to do it (unless you go to a school that requires work study positions, like Berea).
When I got my aid packages in the mail, I got to see the amounts lined up, and I calculated my best advantage overall. That’s one of the major reasons I ended up at WashU. I was awarded a shot at a position, and I entered a world that was foreign to me. I had never held a job before college, and I had no established skill set. I navigated the webpage for financial aid to my work study assignment, and I contacted my new boss to set a time to meet and create my schedule.
Work study positions are great in that they are naturally flexible to accommodate odd hours and class times. Your boss understands “transition time” after class headed into work, and they understand that sometimes you can’t work your normal hours during finals. It is a real job that you have to commit to, and there are hour logs to keep up with (mine were paper and then transitioned to the digital system) so that you can get paid. If you stop showing up, you lose your job (and that funding!). There is a loose dress code (working in academia is a more chill sort of professional). That isn’t the case for every job, and your own supervisor will let you know what is appropriate, but it was more of a relaxed space for me.
Working on campus has perks for the precious element of time, too. I didn’t have to commute to work and back for class, because let’s face it, I had a class in the morning and a giant gap of time before my next class in the evening, and I didn’t want to run back and forth to a part-time job off campus in between the two, not that they would have had such limited and specific hours. You know what type of job does have that type of limited and specific hours, and also may not mind if you disappear for a class before coming back? Work study.
I even got several pay raises until I capped out the maximum pay for a work study position at my school, and I set new hours every semester as needed when my classes changed. I was also allowed to work a couple more hours a week so that I could earn money quicker. Oh, and sick days? Take them. As long as I let my supervisor know I wasn’t coming in, and I got all my hours for the week, there was no problem and no penalty. By sheer force of luck, I even kept my position after being gone for an entire semester studying abroad.
Work study has its perks, but it also has some limitations. You might earn more by being employed elsewhere, but work life balance gets a little bit harder. Prime homework time is often the weekend, which is the same time that someone might need to get to an off-campus part-time job that only operates in shifts. It can also kill a social life and get in the way of the fun events on campus that you already paid for in your fees at the beginning of the year. However, the extra money could be absolutely necessary, so make sure you make the choices that are right for you. You might decide to do both (but watch out for that balance!).