Ares and Athena

Posted by admin on Mar 10, 2009 in Community | 0 comments

Dear A&A,
It’s now the middle of the semester, which means the school year is almost over. I’m concerned about what I’m going to be doing this summer. My question to you is: where is the best place to look for work and what kind of jobs do you think are available to a university student? With all this talk about the economy going bad, I need to find some way to pay for my education. Please help!
– Jobless in June

Dear Teetering-on-the-Brink-of-Bankruptcy,

I’ll be honest. The truth hurts and it’s your own fault. First, the world economic crisis is your fault. I know: you neither defaulted on a mortgage nor violated your sense and integrity by selling spurious pseudo-assets, but your attitude just isn’t helping build market confidence, here. Remember: in the emergent economy real money is a psychological construct.

As for your educational financing, the best way doesn’t involve all your needless stressing, or even sound fiscal management. No, the best way to go to work is smiling. Because the truth is that no matter what you do, your winning smile and engaging way of casually propaganda-dropping in conversation with whatever wealthy relative of yours is actually bankrolling your tuition. Leverage your charisma and inter-subjective magnetism effectively enough and you might even get a new sports car and trip to Hawaii out of the deal.

Of course, the other option is that you’ve probably got a massive scholarship you’re not admitting to and are just stressing about having to take on a bit of debt. But don’t worry. Red numbers look kinda pretty on the balance sheet, and financing your debt is fairly easy, even through menial toil. It may be hard on your carefully-cultivated aura of academic supremacy, but some cash flow a day keeps the auditors away!

In the off-chance you actually have to give the tuition an honest college try, I hear low-paid heavy labour is always in fashion. Remember: though the money you generate may seem a ragingly quixotic gesture in the face of a sea of troubles if you’re willing to sojourn forth with brutal self-discipline, three jobs or a sufficient obscure and distant one may just make you content enough to continue the whole racket again next year. 

– Ares

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Hello my friend,

There are no easy answers for what you ask. Unfortunately, according to some these times are some of the worst to be coming out of university since the Great Depression. With the high influx of college-aged men and women into the job market and the decrease in available jobs, there just aren’t the opportunities there have been in previous years.

Unless you are willing to flip burgers at McDonald’s or any other minimum wage job, then there will likely be some difficulty finding stable employment. That isn’t to say that there aren’t well-paying jobs out there; they just might take being a bit more creative than before.

As far as places to look, Craigslist is always a useful tool for job hunting, but many jobs still are based around word-of-mouth; so keep a sharp ear out and continually ask questions to find out what is available. Or if you can afford it, perhaps working at a summer camp might be a legitimate avenue; some camps even pay their summer staff. One could also check out their local schools, as some hire summer staff in order to fix up the area. Lastly, if worse comes to worst, go around town putting up fliers and posters advertising how great of a manual labourer you would be. Give those a try and see what you come up with.

I wish you luck in your employment endeavours.

– Athena

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