Popular Jobs

Forget about enjoying the beach, traveling, and hanging out with friends during the summer, because thanks to our summer classes being sliced down recently – most college students are going to have to find a summer job.

Why?
Because we all need money and there are no classes to go to. (Sadly)

I had to get a job and after endless days at the mall handing out applications, I finally received a call back and got hired.

Yep, this UP blogger is no longer a member of the “college students without a job” club. As of last week, I have taken what could be one of the most popular jobs among students -- I am now a hostess at Koi Japanese Restaurant and I’m loving the tips.

So in commemoration of me finally getting a job, I have decided to make this blog all about the top five jobs that I have found to be the most popular around campus.

TUTORING

If you are extremely knowledgeable on a specific subject or just overall smart, then tutoring might just be what can take your bank account from $0.75 to a $100. This job, though boring at times, is actually a good source of money. Not only do you get to implement your own hours but also your own rate! Imagine that…you don’t have to stick to the state minimum wage of $7.15 - Now, that’s pretty rad.

Benefits:

• You don’t have to work on the weekends.


• You can tutor at the comfort of your own home.


• It only takes a couple of hours from your day.
  

Disadvantages:

• Depending on the person you’re tutoring, work might get boring.


• You’ll be sitting a lot.


• You have to repeat and explain things constantly.


• Beware of who you’re inviting into your house, some of the kids that you might have to tutor are kind of coo-koo and it might not be a good idea to invite them into your home.


• If you end up going to the kid’s house, make sure you stay quiet and out of the fights that he/she might have with their parents – they can get ugly.

BABYSITTING

If you don’t mind babies and toddler vomit, smells of poop in the air, a lot of crying and squealing, and the bonus of dirty diapers, then by all means you should give babysitting a try. This job is only for those who have patience with kids. There is no point in taking a job like this if you’re always in a bad mood and absolutely disgusted at the thought of changing a diaper. It’s also not a difficult job to get – thanks to all the websites dedicated to this kind of job, you can now easily promote yourself on the internet by putting specific times, days, and rates for parents to look at.

Benefits:

• No minimum wage here, you set your own rate.


• Kids sleep a lot - which means, tons of free time for you.


• You get to eat another family’s food while they’re out.
  

Disadvantages:

• It’s a big responsibility - if that kid breaks a bone, it’s on you.


• By the end of the night you’ll smell like throw up and spit - not a good combo.
  

EXOTIC DANCER (STRIPPER!)

Yeah that’s right, stripping is a job. If you have absolutely no inhibitions, you love to show off the twins, and have absolutely no problem in taking your clothes off in front of drunken strangers, then honey what are you waiting for? Hit up the strip club and get a job! Personally, I would never try it. But there are people at FAU that do dabble around in the stripping circle and love it.

Benefits:

• The tips at this job are even better than what any waitress could get - so get those G-Strings ready for the dollar bills.


• If you like being the center of attention, then this is also the job for you. I guarantee you’ll be getting lots of it.


• You might get famous - in the porn business.
  

Disadvantages:

• You’ll only be working nights (or at least most of the time), unless you’re on the day shifts (a.k.a the B squad), in which case you’ll be working a “regular” schedule.


• Your reputation might get hurt because of this - you’ll be labeled all kinds of things because of your job.

RETAIL

One word - clothes. I personally am a shop-a-holic. I shop whenever I have the money and I practically live at the mall anyway, so I had my share of working in retail when I was younger. The only thing is, you have to be patient with customers because as the manager will tell you: “the customer is always right.”

Benefits:

• Discounted clothes. (Need I say more?)
  

Disadvantages:

• You have to stand on your feet for more than five hours straight.


• You don’t get to leave until an hour after the mall closes.


• The pay is not that great and there are no tips. (Obviously)


• If you hate organizing your closet, then you’ll hate this job even more because you’ll be folding and folding like there’s no end.

WAITRESSING/ HOSTING

If you’re overly nice, don’t mind smelling like food, and don’t care to serve a couple of people then this is for you. The only thing is, try to have good memory for orders because sometimes customers can be really picky. For example, where I work there are these two people that get really picky about their tea - they're so picky that they bring their own and only order hot water as their drink. You have to be able to remember things like that.

Benefits:

• Depending on what restaurant you work at, sometimes you will earn more than what a regular job at the mall could pay because of tips. However there are no guarantees that you will in fact make more money. Some places will schedule college kids for day shifts on weekdays. Which means, you could possible walk away from a 7-hour shift with less than $20.


• Free or discounted food (at the end of the night of course). Personally, at my job I have the privilege of enjoying a free meal after a hard day’s work. But, a lot of jobs at restaurants don’t give out free food but will give you a discounted meal instead, so either way you end up with food in your hands…and stomach.
  

Disadvantages:

• Remember that pad Thai chicken you delivered to table 7? Well you’ll smell like it.


• Working hours are often not flexible, meaning you probably have to work until late at night.


• You’ll be cleaning tables full of food, drinks, and who knows what else.


• Forget about free nights and weekends (you’re not working for T-Mobile) - you’ll be working.