What job did you have while you were in college? / LJWorld.com

Asked at Massachusetts Street on August 7, 2006

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“I was a house boy at a sorority. I got free food and everything.”

— Seth Davidson, pastor, Lawrence

“I worked at the dorm cafeteria. It was horrible, but it was money.”

— Julie Williams, nurse's aide, Leavenworth

“I was a lifeguard. Bad pay and lots of sunburn.”

— John Hinman, self-employed, Topeka

“I was a nurse’s assistant. It was my stepping stone into nursing.”

— Joanne Ashton, nurse, Tucson, Ariz.

Students find campus jobs suit them well

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anonymous_ljworld_poster 7 years, 8 months ago

............nevertheless.........

Visually, it's very unappealing.

small_fish_in_small_pond 7 years, 8 months ago

Didn't have to. Tuition was something like $350 a semester...

Napoleon_Dynomite 7 years, 8 months ago

The white color of chocolate may be due to exposure to heat rather than age.

anonymous_ljworld_poster 7 years, 8 months ago

Yeah, speaking of old candy....nothing like opening up a Hershey bar....and it's white (instead of brown).

Now that's old!

Super K-Mart in the toy department! I worked there during the first Christmas that Tickle Me Elmo came out. It was completely insane. I think I was asked, "Do you have Tickle Me Elmo?" about five thousand times. This job tested my sanity. The key is to not get ambitious about straightening up the department and just come to the realization that it will ALWAYS be a disaster area. You just have to walk through the aisles and pick things up off the floor -- don't even try to put them back, just pick the toys up and put them SOMEWHERE so the people can get down the aisles.

By the way, Topside, funny that you should make that comment about stale candy at Hastings. I bought a pack of gum there the other day and it was so old that it was crunchy!!

ljreader 7 years, 8 months ago

OMB- One time, a woman came in and bought a set of glasswear. I watched an employee very carefully wrap them and place them in a box. A couple of hours later, the customer came back with broken glasses. She said she dropped them and wanted her money back. The employee came and got me. The woman told me the same story. I said, "Yeah, they're glass. If you drop glass, it breaks". Then the nitwit said, "But they're NEW- they shouldn't break". I wasn't going to give her a refund, but the owner of the place got involved and refunded her money. Just one story in the Naked City of retail.

anonymous_ljworld_poster 7 years, 8 months ago

Yeah, sure, acg..........and those three horny sorority girls were probably wearing strap-ons and they more than willing (and completely satisfied) "taking care of their own business".----They didn't need no man, thank you!

The_Original_Bob 7 years, 8 months ago

ACG - Wait. Isn't that a scene from one of the amatuer videos you found behind the Frat house?

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 7 years, 8 months ago

S.S.,

Good wages? Heck if I know, She fulfilled her part of the project.

one_more_bob 7 years, 8 months ago

If the customer is always right, then the employees are always wrong. AND WHO WANTS A BUNCH OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE ALWAYS WRONG!!!! Sorry, that phrase causes me to go into rant mode. I used to work retail & the customer is not always right. Come to think of it, I wasn't always right either. That's just the way life is.

ljreader 7 years, 8 months ago

What? No barristas? I don't think that position even existed when I was in college. I worked in retail where "the customer was always right". AAARRRGGG!

char 7 years, 8 months ago

Slicer at Mr. Goodcent's, housekeeper at a hotel back home (yes, minimum wage to clean up other people's puke, literally), and assistant lab analyst at the mining and processing plant my dad works for. The last was the best: $17+ an hour, and I got to stay inside in the AC most of the time. I did have to do 12 hour shifts my second summer there, but the pay was worth it.

acg 7 years, 8 months ago

Hehe, TOB, me either. I think the pervy part of me wanted the story to go something like "Dear Hustler. I was a house boy in a fraternity. I got free food, and everything! The job was great. One day, after mowing the lawn, I came in for a drink of cold water. I was sweaty and my white tshirt clung to my chest. There were 3 sorority girls in the kitchen that day......." Ah to be young and dumb and, well you all know the rest of that adage. :)

sunflower_sue 7 years, 8 months ago

RI, still clinging to the former group...not the latter. So, I guess by you're definition, a "temporary social companion" is 2 hours or less time spent? Did she make good wages? ;)

Dixie Jones 7 years, 8 months ago

lol T_O_B cute....im wondering where seth is a pastor at , cause im thinkin maybe i need to go back to church (wink)

The_Original_Bob 7 years, 8 months ago

" I am glad to see he became a pastor!"

Not at all how I thought that story was going to end.

ejh0486 7 years, 8 months ago

Oh yeah ... Shoe store, fast food, catering company, receptionist at a clinic, advertising agency, KC Star, and KU. Most of the time I was working those jobs at the same time. College is expensive!

ejh0486 7 years, 8 months ago

I was a member of the sorority house where Seth was a house boy. I am sure the job had to stink at times, but he worked with a great cook, an awesome house mom and the other house boys were very nice. He rarely had to interact with us unless he wanted to. (But I would say we were a pretty decent group of girls) By the by, he was extremely sweet and well-mannered! I am glad to see he became a pastor!

Kristen Murphy 7 years, 8 months ago

I worked at a dining hall and the sports info department. It was fun! Sure paid the bills!

The_Original_Bob 7 years, 8 months ago

Hey, I did what I had to do to get through college. It was only dirty till I got used to it then it was just another day at work.

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 7 years, 8 months ago

S.S.

"RI, don't we all have that title until we get married? And then, sadly, 50% of us could still claim it."

Are you of both the latter and former group?

As to the "temporary social companion" chick. I interpreted her job title as having a variety of clients, who employed her for an hour or two at a time.

KSChick1 7 years, 8 months ago

thanks bialys

like to point out he started it! :)

samsnewplace 7 years, 8 months ago

I worked in the toy store for JC Penney in Santa Monica, CA. The main store was located across the alley and then they had a building in a small parking lot that was just a toy store. Alot of fun memories there.

H_Lecter 7 years, 8 months ago

Why stop at ten?

boogeyman 7 years, 8 months ago

Beware the Girl Scouts!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/06/rabies.scouts.ap/index.html

Just to be safe, we might quarantine all of them for 10 days.

Laura Watkins 7 years, 8 months ago

I had two campus jobs while in school and would definitely suggest them to any KU student. It was really hard for me to find a job off-campus and the college jobs are plentiful and pay fairly well.

bialystocknbloom 7 years, 8 months ago

Original Bob and KSchick WOW that's dirty :)

Last year for a couple of months it was at a movie theater. Started the library front desk back in May.

mlemiller 7 years, 8 months ago

Reporter/morning show host for a public radio station. I loved it. I wish I was still doing it.

Jayhawk226 7 years, 8 months ago

ah, and left out:

Substitute teacher for Lawrence schools

Jayhawk226 7 years, 8 months ago

Res. Hall monitor (my body and sleep patterns still haven't recovered from those darn mid-AM hours)
Office of Admissions/Scholarships transcript evaluator (last 2 weeks.....HATED IT!!!!)
Asst. Weekend Program Director @ Natural History Museum (Ride Comanche, Ride!!)

jayhawks71 7 years, 8 months ago

anonymous LJ Reader; vindictive and jealous... expect nothing less.

So what if their parents were successful and paid for their kids education, vehicle, cell phone, computer and so on?

Don't be such a hater.

mom_of_three 7 years, 8 months ago

I worked at K-Mart, Taco Tico, and as a bookkeeper for an auto dealership. Lots of different experiences which served me well as I entered the full time job market.

YourItalianPrincess 7 years, 8 months ago

WHile attending college I worked at Kindercare. It was great on the job training as I completed my ECE courses.

I now own my own little in home daycare here in Lawrence and its great to be the boss.

I'm on vacation for all week which I take twice a year. My oldest moved out on his own, so now my youngest is changing rooms. Its going to be a busy week for us here at home, and we are hoping to also fit in going to Chicago or St. Louis for a couple of days too.

Have a great day everyone.

H_Lecter 7 years, 8 months ago

Sgt., I think getting to know them before they expire is more interesting and fun. While a funeral home would have it's perks... (did you ever hear, "You can't spell funeral without f-u-n?")

Pywacket 7 years, 8 months ago

I'm sorry--I'm too distracted by the resemblance of Pastor Seth (the sorority houseboy) to Billy (Brenda's crazy brother) from Six Feet Under. Brrrrrr..... I don't even want to think about that.

Worked at Serials & Acquisitions at Watson Library. Crappy student pay but great people to work with, kindly boss, flexible hours..

sunflower_sue 7 years, 8 months ago

RI, don't we all have that title until we get married? And then, sadly, 50% of us could still claim it.

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 7 years, 8 months ago

I met one chick in a collaboration group who said she was a "temporary social companion"

sgtwolverine 7 years, 8 months ago

A funeral home? H_L, is that you?

sunflower_sue 7 years, 8 months ago

Florist, green-house worker, freelance artist, go-fer, wife (and all the jobs that come with that title.)

DanFreako 7 years, 8 months ago

I was a bouncer at Coyotes, Tremmors and the bar before Tremmors ..729.

As well as for a NIH study at the Ellsworth cafeteria for my degree.

craigers 7 years, 8 months ago

Worked at Target. Great student job, good pay, hours, benefits... No complaints here.

ram67rod 7 years, 8 months ago

Worked at the LAC until I couldn't stand it anymore. Then moved to a better job at a Funeral Home here in town. Pretty fun...

Eybea Opiner 7 years, 8 months ago

"I was a house boy at a sorority. I got free food and everything."

And everything??!! What sorority was that, again?

soiledbrown 7 years, 8 months ago

reticent-did that give your roomate "orange peter"?

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 7 years, 8 months ago

Did alot of things, retail, janitor, c-store clerk, trim carpenter, truck driver-one night on the road and I'm a gonna make it to diff-Eq.

I had a roommate with a job similar to TOB's, I'm pretty sure he was a porn video reviewer/cheetos quality tester.

trinity 7 years, 8 months ago

lol, thanks for that explanation jonas! :)

i only have a TWO hour window for the service person! i've got to leave work early (no sweat there, lol) to be home between 3:15&5:15. i will stand vigilant on my front porch to watch for 'em!

for once, i think that i knew MORE about my problem than did the tech. i humored him though. i was vindicated when he finally concluded what i'd told him at the git-go; bad dsl line. his tech term for it was "horrible" dsl line, lmaoooooooo!

one_more_bob 7 years, 8 months ago

Among several gigs, I worked in the laundry at a VA hospital.

acg 7 years, 8 months ago

TOB, that killed me! I was a waitress/bartender, in every kind of place one can imagine, from biker bars to 5 star dining. I'm so glad I don't do that anymore!

anonymous_ljworld_poster 7 years, 8 months ago

I would imagine that there are quite a few students at KU who don't have to work at all.

Mommy and Daddy pay for everything.

The tuition.

The room and board.

The late model SUV.

The gas card.

The books and other school essentials.

Monthly allowance.

Etc. etc.

KSChick1 7 years, 8 months ago

TOB-fluffer?

were yours the best teeth they have ever come across?

Topside 7 years, 8 months ago

I worked at a sweat shop, er...I mean Hastings.

PS- Unless things have drastically improved NEVER buy candy there. It is all REALLY old and stale.

southerngirl 7 years, 8 months ago

You're lucky if you get a college kid these days! I called a call center for something last week and could barely understand the woman who took my call. I think I'd rather use a push button system (press one for...) than talk to someone from another country who is taking an American job...

The_Original_Bob 7 years, 8 months ago

Fluffer.

jonas 7 years, 8 months ago

trinity: My observation was this: the people you call are three steps removed from the actual people getting the work done. You would call and talk to me, I would ask some rote questions to get a feel for the type of problem, then I would send your report electronically to the regional dispatch, who would then send the report to the correct local dispatch, who would then send the technician out to do the work (unless of course you missed his brief light knock on your door in the 5 hour availability window that you had to be vigilant during HAHA cuz then he just left and you had to call again!)

So, in the absence of any meaningful repair purpose for my existence in the repair system/mechanism, what I actually was (or at least, what I was supposed to be, and was in trouble a lot for not doing because it felt dirty to me, and why I quit) was a telemarketer, just one that, in order to get your service fixed you had to go through. Training, both at hire and continuing, was focused 40/20/40 on using the operating system/troubleshooting/upselling and selling additional products. I don't know if that's still the case, but from the sound of things I would guess that it is.

trinity 7 years, 8 months ago

jonas, you mentioned "sprint telecenters"; i had my first experience, after having been with SWBell for a gazillion years, of having to call the sprint or whatever the H their name is now, repair center a couple days ago. mannnnnnn, where do they get these people?? i guess if it's college kids i understand...but what an experience in frustration! agh!

i was a mom when i was in college-THAT was my favorite&best job! :)