Last semester, I started at my first work-study job, and it was exactly what everyone thinks of when they think of work-study; I sat at a front desk and did homework for four hours while occasionally being interrupted to make a photocopy or direct a lost student. This type of job is a great option if you worry about balancing work with school – I certainly was my most productive at work and often felt like I was doubling up on my productivity by basically getting paid to do homework. If you’re looking for a more fun and engaging way to earn your work-study award, however, I highly suggest applying next year to be a cat care assistant at the cat shelter Kitty Bungalow, my much more interesting current work-study position.

During my time doing work-study jobs at USC, I have gradually learned many useful things about navigating work-study that I wish I had known from the beginning. From learning how to obtain work-study to balancing my work-study amount between two jobs, I’ve obtained so much knowledge of the process of pursuing work-study. So, if you’re just beginning to look into work-study allow me to save you some time and effort by answering some of the questions you may have about work-study.

I often joke that getting work-study at USC is harder than getting in, which isn’t entirely untrue. I’ve spent hours completing work-study job applications. I started with high hopes when I arrived my freshman year. Before going to college, everyone told me, “Just get a library job, you can do your homework during it.” Seems easy enough when you put it that way.

It’s never too late to find an on-campus job. Trust me, I didn’t hear back from my work-study job until Thanksgiving break of my sophomore year. Over the course of three months, I had applied to dozens of on-campus jobs to no avail. Between midterms and holiday stress, I was discouraged and defeated. I was convinced I wouldn’t find a job at all that year if I hadn’t secured one already. Out of the blue, I landed an interview at the USC Career Center. Two years later, I was promoted to Lead Student Engagement Intern.