What I’ve Learned From My Random Part-Time Jobs

Throughout my college career, I’ve had many part-time jobs that allowed me to save and spend money. It was nice having money to go out with friends on the weekends, but I also developed skills that have already started to help me grow as a professional. The point is, don’t underestimate what you can learn at those odd jobs. I’ll share what I learned from a few of my random part-time jobs in the hopes that you’ll make the most out of yours.

1.Marshall’s Sales Associate

This was my first real job, and Marshall’s was (ok is) my favorite store in town. I tried to save my paychecks, but most of the time they went towards the items I put on hold throughout the week while working. During my shift, I would make my department look beautiful, go on break, and come back to it all messed up again. Patience is key if you ever work in retail. Working there taught me how to deal with people who don’t respect you and your hard work. As much as I wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine, I had to put on a smile because “the customer is always right.” Ever since leaving that job, I bite my tongue when people say things that test me. Sometimes being the bigger person saves you a lot of trouble down the road, even if you so badly want to give someone an equal voice back. This has helped me throughout college, because I meet people on a regular basis who come from different backgrounds than me, and I’m able to respect their opinions even I don’t agree.

2.Tour Guide

I became a tour guide because my friends in college did, and I needed a job. A job that I once thought was lame turned into the most rewarding job a college student could have. The staff at the admissions building knew how to reward and motivate us, and always assured us that school comes first. I learned so much more than I thought I would, and it was a great way for me to get to know the campus as a freshman. The biggest thing I learned from this part-time job was how to deal with a variety of personalities. At first I sucked at it and was very shy. The more families I met, the more confident I became about talking about the university. Meeting new families allowed me to view my own upbringing from a different perspective. I’ve never been exposed to such different family dynamics than by being a tour guide. I got paid to share my experiences at the University of Hartford with potential future classmates, and I gained confidence from it, too, which I can now use when networking or meeting potential employers.

3.Office Assistant

I still have this job, and while I love the people I work for, it’s hard for me to sit in the same office for four hours since I like to be creating and exploring outside of the office. Being in graduate school, I’m used to doing many different things throughout the day, and I’m not used to such a sedentary environment. This job is teaching me how important company culture is going to be in my job search. I’m also learning that working for people significantly older than you can be challenging. Things that may seem difficult for them may seem easy to you. Using computer software is a perfect example. They have one way of doing things on one computer system. They don’t need to be keeping up with technological trends like people my age are.

Almost every random part-time job I’ve had has taught me more about what I don’t want than what I do. Still, getting to know everyone in the office, staying curious and being kind has helped me get more out than just money out of every job, and knowing that these jobs aren’t permanent has helped me enjoy them for what they are.