Students blog

As college kids, we often see breaks as time to relax, and summer is no exception. Although it is important to recharge in preparation for the next school year, it’s also important to realize that our summer break can be a time to maximize productivity. Whether it be taking some summer courses at your local community college or getting a job, a successful college career is dependent on your efforts during these times of flexibility. Knowing this, I have spent my last few summer breaks making the most of them, and preparing myself for the future, and there are two ways I did so.

Take summer classes

Once I graduated high school, I wasted no time and took advantage of the courses offered at my local community college over the summer. Community colleges offer thousands of courses, making it easy for students to get some of their required curriculum out of the way. In addition, taking advantage of this is a great way to finish your more “basic” classes for a significantly cheaper price. These last two summers, I took about 19 hours, and I can’t justly express how incredible all the benefits are of doing this. Taking all my English, histories, and sciences at my local community college saved me tens of thousands of dollars and put me on track to graduate a year early. You will not regret taking these basic courses ahead of time for a fraction of the price.

Try something new

Summer break can be the perfect time to learn a new skill, complete an internship, earn extra money through a summer job, or launch a new endeavor. I started my own small business, something that taught me discipline, consistency, and perseverance. During the summer after my freshman year, I started my own pressure washing company. I invested several thousand dollars of my own money in equipment and advertising. Walking door to door in the Texas heat, I created a name for myself and my business. I met dozens of business owners and earned myself my first internship working for a prominent construction company whose CEO I pressure washed for. In addition to reaping the benefits of my investment, I also acquired the effective art of selling as well as learned the importance of networking. The experience of owning my own company taught me so many valuable lessons and I would highly recommend doing it. 

Summers in college are some of the most valuable and flexible periods of time you will ever have, and many don’t realize it until it is too late. If you want to get ahead, save money, learn something new, and meet new people, I highly suggest taking some summer courses and starting your own small business that you’re passionate about.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Being a Pearson Campus Ambassador (PCA) has truly been an amazing journey, and when I started as a PCA I had no idea all the amazing things that would be in store for me. I am excited to get the opportunity to share some of that journey as I conclude my time at Pearson as I graduate.

Opportunities and Experience

One of the best things about the PCA Program is that you get out what you put in. If you are willing to put in the work, the opportunities will find you. As you get more opportunities in the program, you will gain some great experience that will help set you apart from other candidates when applying for jobs and other external opportunities. In addition to summer internships, Pearson also offers micro-internships which allow you to complete short-term internship experiences during the school year. In my 2.5 years with Pearson, I worked two summer internships and one micro-internship in addition to my job as a Pearson Campus Ambassador and Regional Coordinator. These opportunities helped strengthen my resume and gave me a wealth of experience to pull from when interviewing and working different jobs. These opportunities also allowed me to get a better understanding of what I wanted to do for work following graduation.

Traveling

Being a part of the PCA Program also allowed me to travel to different parts of the country. In my time as a PCA, I was able to travel to Dallas, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Austin. Whether I was traveling for a special project, an internship, or a leadership summit, each trip was special, and I had a great time. Pearson takes great care of its employees, and that was made evident on these trips. During these trips, I got to visit different Pearson offices, including our corporate U.S. headquarters. I also got to meet many Pearson professionals as well as some of my fellow PCAs whom I had only met virtually up until that point.

Connections and Camaraderie

The connections I’ve made and the camaraderie that exists at Pearson and within the PCA Program are something that I will never forget. I had the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest students across the country. I had the chance to lead and mentor some of the most amazing students across Texas and Louisiana as the Regional Coordinator of the Central Region. I got to see so many friendships and people blossom and grow because of the PCA Program. It allows you have a connection in almost every state and city in this program. Our managers, sales reps, and various Pearson employees helped promote this camaraderie and sense of community. Everyone, from the CEO and the Presidents to our respective managers, were easily accessible. In my time at Pearson, I had multiple sit-downs with the CEO, as well as meetings with the former President of Higher Ed and the Chief Human Resources Officer.

As you can see, I had a great experience as a Pearson Campus Ambassador. I’ve had the opportunity to do some things that most other 22-year-old college graduates can’t say they have done. I have learned so many transferable skills that I will take with me into my next role. Pearson was one of the best things that could have happened to me in my college career, and it is the best job you can have as a college student.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Finding time for an internship or job can seem impossible while trying to get used to a new course load of challenging classes. Whether you need a somewhat steady income to pay your bills or just some extra cash for going out on the weekends, most college students find themselves searching for a job at some point throughout their four years at school. Plus, fall and spring term internships are just as plentiful as summer internships now. Although it may seem like you could never find the time to balance these opportunities with your class schedule, employers can be understanding and will often put your academics first. It’s all about finding the right fit for you. 

Just the thought of having to find a job is daunting to many students. Thankfully, most universities have a career center that is there to help you find job and internship listings. They can direct you to on-campus positions that fit with your class schedule. Some on-campus jobs even pay for your meal plan or housing on top of your salary. On-campus jobs are a great way to make some money and build your resume while still staying in touch with your academics as they are not allowed to schedule you to work during your classes. 

Internships can be more tricky to balance with classes as they can often take up more time than an average part-time job. Getting creative with your schedule can help. You could try to schedule all of your classes in the mornings or only on certain days of the week so that you can better fit those internship hours into your schedule. Another option is to consider taking a class or two online. Often times online classes are not as intense as in person ones and allow you some flexibility on when you complete assignments. Now that you have a few extra hours where you do not have to be on campus for class, you can put those hours into your internship.

It is all about finding what works best for you. Being honest and upfront with your employer about how you are doing in school is also important. They will most often prefer that you do well in your classes than overwhelm yourself at work. If you find yourself falling behind in school, speak with your boss and maybe ask if you can take an afternoon off to study for that exam you have coming up. They can be more understanding than you think. 

At the end of the day, balancing your academics with work or an internship is all about time management. You have to find what works best for your schedule and never forget that your studies should always come first. 

Finding a job in college can be a challenge — especially with everyone throwing different advice at you. Here are 4 places to keep in mind when job hunting on campus.

Your College’s Job Board

Your college job board has jobs that are actually possible for college students to do and these jobs don’t have the atrocious line of “5+ years’ experience necessary.” These jobs are catered towards college students so they may line up nicely with the kinds of classes you are taking. This makes these jobs more applicable to students because they can finally apply the things they learn into real-life situations. The jobs posted on the student job board are also more likely to work with a college student’s schedule.

Other Campus Resources

What if your college doesn’t have a job board? Interestingly enough, dropping by your college’s Career Center is another great place to find jobs. Most Career Centers have job listings for both current students and soon-to-be graduates. Plus it’s a great place to get your resume checked or do a mock interview! Take a walk through your college’s student union or student center. More often than not, you will see flyers featuring job openings around campus. Another idea is to walk through buildings where professor offices are located. Many of them may be looking for student assistants and will post information outside their office doors.

Student Organizations

As a member of the Society of Human Resource Management, I can fully advocate that joining clubs is a great way to find job opportunities. Some professional clubs often have their own exclusive job boards. Besides privatized job boards, clubs also have access to more resources than individuals do when they go job searching. Furthermore, you could discover job opportunities if you go on club-sponsored company tours or if you have the chance to meet professionals through a club networking event.

LinkedIn 

At some point you will probably hear the phrase “it’s not what you know — it’s who you know.” While you can easily find entry-level jobs on LinkedIn, it’s not probable that you will actually get that job for the sole reason that everyone can see that job. If you think finding a job on your college’s job board is difficult, imagine trying to compete against tens of thousands of applicants. It’s still possible to get a job via LinkedIn, but it’s not as likely — especially if the application says “easy LinkedIn apply”; that’s a good indication that there might really be tens of thousands of people applying for that position. Having said that, creating and maintaining a LinkedIn profile is important. Connecting with people will further your career later and may even help you discover a job that isn’t posted there, but offered directly to through someone you connect with.

Finding a job that fits into your schedule can be hard in college, but many places work to accommodate a student’s schedule. Taking time to look around your campus may help you find some hidden gems or point you in the right direction, so keep your eyes open, chin up, and don’t give up!

As a freshman, there are a lot of things that seem daunting and scary; a new school, new friends, new classes, sometimes a new state. On top of all that, most students need or want a part-time job as well. The last thing students want to do is go outside their campus, especially when there are already jobs safely at school. I think it’s a good idea to get a job off-campus and here’s why. 

I moved to a brand new city to begin my college career. Working off-campus provided me the best experience of my freshman year. I got to throw myself right into the city I now call home, got to know its residents, and meet students from different schools that I would have never met otherwise. I have countless stories from working in the city and have grown to love the little community I found in a local Boston business where I proudly work. While freshman year is challenging enough, I think working off-campus and stepping outside of your comfort zone is limitlessly rewarding and worth the effort.

Luck played a part in how I found a perfect part-time job in my attempt to explore a new city. I decided to go to a ‘doughnut open house’ at a local business called Blackbird Doughnuts, where I assumed you went and tasted their menu. Not quite. Apparently open house means open interviews and bring a resume. So I stepped into what I thought was the line to buy a doughnut and left with a job offer. Thankfully, working at Blackbird is one of the main reasons my freshman year was so amazing. Even if the idea of balancing work and school and meeting new people seemed to be incredibly daunting, I was pleasantly surprised to see the intersection of all three at Blackbird.

I made new friends who went to other schools in Boston like Berklee and Emerson, as well as people who went to my school, Boston University, giving me familiar faces to see both in the city and on-campus. One of my coworkers who also went to BU gave me all the advice my freshman heart desired. While I had no idea then, the next year we ended up having a class together in which we collaborated on notes and helped each other study for the final. I gained all of this while being paid to work at a fun little doughnut shop in the heart of Boston!

The most unexpectedly rewarding part of working off campus, however, had to be meeting the people of Boston, even when that came with a few crazy stories. How many other people have witnessed an angry customer throw a doughnut at their coworkers or have seen the same decked out dog with a speaker on his back and red “doggles” walk past their shop every day for a month? I haven’t met many people who have gotten to know the people of Boston like I have. I’ve met small business owners, nurses working nearby, die-hard Boston sports fans, and even a florist who ran out of the store to his car to give my coworker and me flowers after talking to us. 

I have loved working with every single coworker and have incredible admiration for my managers and my boss – who defines what it is to be a girl boss in the food service industry and in life. I couldn’t have found better role models and I wouldn’t have found them without stepping out of my comfort zone and finding an off-campus job. When I got in line to buy a doughnut, I left with more than a job offer – I left with a whole new community that I never expected to have. Not many college kids can say that. So if you can get an off-campus job, you should. I’ve learned it’s the least scary thing you can possibly do.