Best Workstudy Jobs at Duke

From WikiCollegiate

So, you've gotten that fat envelope, no it's not your acceptance to Duke, it's your financial aid package. In it, almost $2000 of work study.

The big myth at Duke is that you can actually accomplish your work study. The fact is, most students cannot sustain a work-study job. Those who do work and study often proclaim those their two principal activities (besides, or sometimes in lieu of, sleep). So, first semester is really the make-or-break time to perform work-study. If you find a good fit, the best work study job for you, you can ride it through four years of college, collecting the benfits of your seniority along the way.

[edit] Research Lab

Working in a research lab seems like one of the best gigs you could land. After all, you're getting paid to build your resume right? And maybe find out about a future career, learn some skills, and who knows, next it will be your name on the cover of Cell or Science.

Well, the truth is, Research Labs make the worst possible work-study jobs. Though they advertise generously at the work-study fair in the Bryan Center each year, using the same tired paragraph from above, what they really desire are miniature lab technicians.

What does this mean? What's in the job description? Well, in Cell and Molecular Biology, you can expect to mix chemicals from a recipe, autoclave the garbage and pipette tips, and perform a variety of other mundane, but necessary, tasks. You will not be paid to do research. That's not how it works. If you work in Neurobiology, expect to be hosting surveys, doing pre-coding, setting up and cleaning up. Don't expect to design your own study anytime soon (though they do dangle that carrot as something you might get to do as a Junior, after "two years of hard work.")

In addition, research labs are the bane of Federal Work Study in that they expect you to work while on the job. You will not be able to study for your test, or do your homework while in the lab. You'll be too busy mixing some 10X TAE to think about EGR 53. Think knowing how to mix TAE makes you a better candidate for a job in Biology (easy answer: no). You will also not be able to find other people to cover your shifts, an absolute necessity for most work-study jobs.

[edit] Comments

While it is true that generally work-study in a lab will probably involve mostly technician type work (and not your own independent study), it is still a valuable learning opportunity and a resume booster. The key is to find a lab that does research that you are interested in. It's a good chance to get to know all the equipment and tedious techniques so that when you are actually doing your own research, you don't have to learn the tedious stuff. Also, a lot of labs are pretty lax about your working hours. If you get done with the technician work, they often let you hang around and do homework while getting paid so that when they need you, you are there. Most labs also have presentations and seminars, which they encourage you to attend, that are interesting and paid as well. -Mark Gu

Some research labs are also good stepping stones into Independent Studies or Fellowship programs that can get you connected or at least provide extremely valuable experience. The key is to be proactive when looking for opportunities and to not necessarily take the first thing you get, especially if it sounds too good to be true. - ThatGuy

More to follow...

[edit] Info Desk / Box Office

Working at either of these two esteemed establishments, which aren't linked though they are about 20 feet from each other in the Bryan Center, well, that's the Holy Grail of work-study at Duke. The reason? Well, I point you in the direction of this facebook group. So, in a few short words, you have probably the best work-to-payment ratio of any conceivable campus job.

Even better, they are well staffed, meaning you can miss a shift or two during the semester. The pay is probably among the lowest (as a per-hour wage) on campus sure, but there's never a proverbial shortage of candidates lining up for the job.

Which is the big drawback. Talk about Nepotism! If you don't start campaigning early, and at least know somebody who knows somebody, or happen to waltz in and perform open-heart surgery on the convulsing manager of the infodesk to which you earn her lifelong gratitude, you can forget about ever working either of these jobs.

Still, if you like money, the opportunity to do nothing unbotherdly, and want to miss a shift or two as well, these are two of the best jobs you'll ever have.

[edit] America Counts / America Reads

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The highest paying work-study jobs on campus. Yet it has the highest turnover and lowest retention. Helping little kids is great for your conscience and your wallet, but the people who run the program really ruin it. There's loads of paperwork, attendance rules, monthly meetings, and lengthy online forms to fill out *every week.* If you slip up, even once, in any of these things expect to receive a long nasty e-mail about how busy the administrators are and how they're so upset they had to take time out to e-mail you.

Another issue which seems to keep people from taking these jobs revolves around transportation issues. Yet, there are some schools that are only minutes away on foot.

Still, many students find it just isn't worth it. After all, an extra hour at the information desk will make up the pay difference, and you won't have to deal with anal retentive administration trying to make you feel guilty for not relaying (off the clock) everything you did that day in the equivalent of another college essay.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea with a great cause, you just have to be willing to put up with a lot of crap so you can keep the job to help the kids.

[edit] Libraries

After all else fails, and you can't find a job anywhere else, that's when it happens. You promised yourself you'd never be caught dead in the library. You promised yourself you'd never become a peon, lower than a hot-dog vendor in New Orleans, reduced to shelving books as the pedestrians gawk.

And yet, the library has been waiting. They know the game. They do what nobody else can - they make it really, really, easy to get a job. And when every other job falls through, that's when you turn to the largest employer on campus: the library.

Now, some persons thrive at the library. They were born without that pesky thing called dignity. Indeed, the problem with a job at the library seems multi-fold. Lowsy pay. You actually have to work on your shift. Children laugh at you.'

And so every semester a new flock of semi-fortunate work-study students join ranks, only to wash away midway through the semester. But like investment banking, the job gets better. Much better.

The real plumb job in the library is the circulation desk. Here all you do is check out books. In general, only 1-in-10 student work studies make it onto the Circ Staff their first semester, but once there, it's smooth sailing. And if you really stick it out, you can even become a student supervisor - making as much as an America Reads tutor, working as much as someone at the box office.

In fact, just to show how easy it is, applications are open for the library in the fall. All you have to do is email Bobbi Earp and tell her you're interested.

[edit] Grading

Grading is a job which affords a lot of freedom. One can typically sign up to grade from one to four sections of an introductory course, usually in the science. One has to have completed the course before, usually with a grade of B+ or higher. Graders in the Mathematics department are paid $9.00 an hour for introductory courses, and usually given 8 hours of work per week. One advantage is that there are no set hours, and typically flexible deadlines. A downside is that some weeks may bring a deluge of work, and some weeks may bring no work at all. This unreliability can be disconcerting at times. It is not a difficult job, and good for people with unusual working hours.

[edit] Teaching assistant

Being an undergraduate teaching assistant is a lot of work, but it definitely has its perks. TAs are usually divided into homework and lab TAs. Homework TAs are very similar to graders except you are also expected to hold office hours every week. Lab TAs run the laboratory exercises and grade the labs. You gain valuable teaching experience, have good pay ($9+), gain social/group interaction skills, refresh your own knowledge of material, and mentor younger kids in your field. It looks very good on your resume as well. It is a decent responsibility, depending on which department you are in. Many departments will only hire graduate teaching assistants, however. Below is list of departments that hire many undergraduates:

[edit] Departments that hire undergrad TAs

• Chemistry (general, organic)
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Pratt School of Engineering
  • The EGR 53 class hires over 30 undergraduate TAs in the Fall and around a dozen in the Spring. The primary requirements are that you have taken and succeeded in the class and are at least a sophomore. Contact Dr. G for more information

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[edit] Office of Information Technology (OIT)

OIT offers both work study and regular jobs for students.

The Multimedia Project Studio (MPS) has Multimedia Project Consultant positions for students with a strong background in creating digital media. Job Description

Students Assisting with Technology (SWAT) jobs are available for computer-savvy individuals. Application Information