It’s time to channel your inner Alice Cooper and belt out the smile-inducing lyrics: “School’s out for summer!”
That means time to hit the beach, travel abroad, sleep in and generally laze about. But some Cal Poly students may choose to devote a portion of their summer days to something both more productive and lucrative.
Aerospace engineering sophomore Travis Malmgren, 20, has turned in 11 job applications in the past month. So far he hasn’t heard from anyone.
“I’ve been trying but it’s hard. I’m worried about it. I want a job so I can support myself,” he said.
Last summer he worked full-time for a landscaping company and the summer before that at Home Depot. He’s ready to do just about any job, he said.
The best way for students to get a job is to start early, attend career events and tailor your resume, said Career Services Program Coordinator Carole Moore.
“The university has a wealth of resources students don’t use,” she said.
Cal Poly’s Career Services Web page offers information on how to prepare for and land a job, as well as a multitude of links to job sites.
One easily accessible tool is Mustang Jobs. It can be reached via your Cal Poly Portal. Its search engine allows job seekers to narrow results by focusing on specific majors or concentrations, position types (internship, part-time, etc.) and locations. There are postings for all types of jobs, from architect to tutor to personal assistant.
Most people look to Craigslist for used furniture, but it is also a valuable and under-utilized resource for employment. It features an enormous list of full-time and part-time opportunities. There are tons of categories from which to choose; the part-time section lists over 200 jobs.
During high school and throughout the year, graphic communication senior Dalia Feinholz, 20, worked as a student manager at Starbucks on campus. When her boss told her Starbucks wouldn’t be able to keep any student workers for the summer, she immediately began looking for a job off campus.
Like Malmgren, Feinholz had applied to several places but either never heard back or discovered the business had finished hiring for the summer. Then her boss referred her to Ellen Stanton, the owner of Gus’s Grocery. Feinholz was hired full-time and began working Tuesday.
“It was stressful when I found out that I couldn’t be a student manager at Starbucks because it was kind of late to start looking. So I was lucky that my boss was able to get me a job.”
Agriculture business junior David Dugan, 20, is looking for a job so he can stay in San Luis Obispo for the summer. Otherwise he will be heading back to Casa Grande, Arizona to work on the family dairy in July. He loves working at the dairy but wants to stay here to beat the Arizona heat and hang out with friends, he said.
“Plus I’m already paying rent here so I might as well be here. It will be a waste of money to go home,” he said, adding that earning money isn’t the most important factor; he just wants something to do.
An internship or volunteer position also add to a resume, said Moore.
Whether you’re working, interning or volunteering, Moore advises students to get the most out of the experience by being observant. It’s not always so much about the job, she said. “As much experience as you can get is going to help. Pursue all things so you have options.”