Making ends meet

The semester has just started and students are already running low on cash. For those looking for some extra pocket money or just trying to make the rent, getting a job is often the best alternative to relying on parents or begging in the streets.

Students who want to stay close to campus can find a host of employment options around Tech.

For the fitness minded, a quick glance at the Campus Recreation Center's website shows several job opportunities. Positions include lifeguard, fitness attendant, climbing wall attendant, intramural official, main issue or equipment worker, personal trainer and wilderness outpost attendant.

Housing also offers many jobs to students. These positions include peer leader, community advisor, community manager and resident manager.

Elizabeth Cox, a fourth-year Industrial Engineering major, has been a peer leader for two and a half years, and spoke about her experiences on the job.

"My purpose was to help to build community and relationships among the freshmen. I was also there if they had any academic-related questions such as registration or campus activities to get involved in," Cox said.

Cox pointed out several benefits to her job.

For instance, peer leaders are given a discount on housing, which only increases with the number of years that they work for the department.According to Cox other benefits include a free meal plan and some money on your Buzzcard each semester.

The main difficulty Cox said she encountered as a peer leader was "being woken up in the middle of the night to handle [student] issues."

However, Cox said that this simply comes with the job.

According to Cox, one of her best experiences as a peer leader was seeing her girls succeeding in school and really enjoying Tech. "My job is to try and make it feel like home. If I can accomplish that, then I know I've done a good job," Cox said.

Other jobs can be found at some uncommon places on campus, such as the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) Paper Museum.

One student employee, Attila-Giovanni Gabor, a first-year Aerospace Engineering major, spoke about his job at the museum which involves papermaking workshops, setting up and taking down exhibits and secretarial work.

Gabor's job, like all jobs, has its fair share of pros and cons.

Gabor said that his worst experience was "having to collate 150 packets of worksheets for a papermaking workshop. That was very tedious."

Not every aspect of Gabor's job is so dull, however. As an employee of the museum, he gets to assist in paper manufacturing, a unique experience that few can boast of having.

"Making paper [is my favorite part of work]. Some of the different fibers used to make paper make the final product look really cool," Gabor said.

For students thinking of pursuing a similar job, Gabor said that he recommends this job to people who have an eye for aestheticsand like working with kids.

Other parts of his job that Gabor enjoys include the many experiences created by the mixture of activities he has in his job.

"Some days we'll have middle school kids come in for a papermaking workshop and tour, [and] other days I might be helping set up a new exhibit," Gabor said.

There is also a great variety of jobs for students who are looking for something away from campus. One job that may be especially suited to many Tech students is tutoring.

Alex McCann, a second-year Mechanical Engineering major, tutors children in English and writing for two-hour sessions.

"It's basically easy work since the tutorees have to work the hardest to improve, [have] flexible hours and [are] genuinely appreciative people," McCann said.

McCann said that the only downfall of his job is its ever changing demand. "Tutoring is not regular work; people don't need constant tutoring," McCann said.

Tutoring is not always the easiest of jobs, however. McCann has had his fair share of frustration with trying to teach young children.

"I [once] asked a little kid to use the word 'surround' in a sentence, and he said, 'you surround someone before you jump him,'" McCann said.

Other off-campus jobs can be found at nearby restaurants like Wingnuts, a favorite late-night chicken destination for Tech students.

Sara Scruggs, a second-year Management major, works as a cashier there.

"[My job is] really easy and very close to campus with a decently flexible schedule...If I needed to take the night off to study it wouldn't be a problem," Scruggs said.

There are several campus resources available to students to help them get the jobs they want.

One of these is the Career Center, home to a plethora of information on how to obtain employment. There are also several seminars and workshops offered throughout the year that prepare students for work.

A complete listing of seminars and more employment information can be found at www.career.gatech.edu.