Before you start looking for a job as a student, you’ll want to consider your goals and skills (link to Before the Job Search?). Having a job that interests you may be a perfect fit for your time in school. Not only can an interesting job be a great addition to your resume, but it can also make work itself feel less like an obligation and more like something you want to do. Find what interests you and go after jobs in that area. Here are ten ideas to get you started:
- Work on a campaign. If you’re political, few jobs can motivate you more than working to help a candidate you support take office. Not all of these jobs involve volunteer work, either; the bigger the campaign, the better the opportunity for a paying job.
- Be physical. If you love skiing, try being a lift operator or a ski instructor. There are plenty of coaching, instructing, and other physical jobs involving kids that can be interesting, rewarding, and even lucrative. All those years you spent learning a sport when you were younger aren’t useless after all.
- Find work at a local hospital or in emergency services. If you’re looking to go into a medical field, the experience is invaluable. Though it may be difficult to find a paying job, learning the ins and outs of a hospital may be worth it.
- Work with animals. Not all jobs involving animals involve working at the humane society. Why not help care for animals being trained to work in the police force or as guide dogs? What about caring for horses at a race track? The possibilities are endless. If you’re an animal lover, they’re also endlessly interesting.
- Find a job at a local radio station. If you love music, it’s hard to find a job you’ll love more. Get access to new music and watch what it’s like to be a dj, manager or producer.
- Check out the local newspaper. If your school has a student paper, see if they offer paying positions. Otherwise, try and find a job at a small paper near campus. Learn more about journalism and get clued in to what’s going on around you—few things are more interesting than that. If writing is what you are looking to do, more and more publications are shifting away from on-staff writers and towards freelance, or contract, writers.
- Work in a lab. If you enjoy being in the lab at school, why not take it one step further and help in a lab in town? They often need students in a variety of positions around the lab. You’ll gain valuable experience for your resume and learn about something completely different while doing it.
- Find a local artist and see if they need a hand. If you enjoy art, working close to someone who is making it as a career artist can be both interesting and informative. Even if you are looking into computer graphics, some time spent with an artist can give you a wide spectrum of ideas to use in your future profession.
- Get work at a local gourmet restaurant. Working at an expensive, high-end restaurant, whether as a cook or in another position, cannot only be financially rewarding. It’s also a chance to see how the local elite live and dine and an opportunity to learn how to make incredibly delicious food.
- Work at a travel agency. Helping interesting people plan their next great adventure might make you queasy with jealousy, but it will also give you some great ideas for your own travel and how to realize your goals. You’ll become more familiar with the travel industry and the locations clients travel to.
To find a really interesting job, you have to find out what it is you love to do, and research from there. Though the most interesting jobs do not always pay well, finding out what you love to do and learning more about it can be just as valuable.