It’s a Monday morning during the fall semester and your alarm wakes you up at 7. You convince yourself that today is the day that you get up and actually get ready before a long day of Zoom classes and work. You hop in the shower, make yourself presentable for the webcam and you join your classmates virtually at 8am to discuss the various ways typography affects the human brain. After an hour of socratic discussion, you finally get to click ‘leave meeting’ and enjoy some time off before you clock into work.
Some students live a perfectly happy life with strictly being a full-time student. However, the rare breed that they are, some students choose to go the extra mile and work a job in conjunction with being a full time student. And that’s what I chose to do in the second semester of my freshman year at Northern Arizona University. I had a pretty busy course schedule, but I was tired of only seeing negative signs in my bank account and decided it was time to make some money.
Why did I pick an On-Campus Job?
While searching for a job in Flagstaff, I had a few criteria that needed to be met by a job opening in order for me to consider applying.
- Flexible with hours.
My class times were all over the place, and I wanted some evenings and most weekends to spend with my friends or head down to phoenix to see my family.
- Close to my dorm.
As a freshman I lived in Gabaldon hall, so I was on the south end of central campus and wanted a job that I could preferably walk to. Gas is not cheap in Flag!
- Allowed room for growth.
I previously worked retail jobs in high school and was really searching for a job that would introduce me to a new professional environment before I graduate and actually have to join the workforce.
Finding a Job
With these criteria set in place and my bank account still draining with each run to Target, I was on an all out search for employment. Thankfully one of my friends told me about Handshake, a resource provided by NAU to connect employers directly with students. Through searching there I found the position for ‘Student Technician at the ITS Student Technology Center.’ I know, sounds a little scary as I have no real experience in the technology world, and previous to this, the most ‘technological’ fix I provided around the house was unplugging the router when the wifi went out.
Luckily, I knew a friend from high school that currently worked that same position, told me about it, and encouraged me to apply. She told me that the job primarily consisted of taking phone calls when anyone from the NAU community had some sort of tech issue, then working with them to resolve the issue.
The application process was a breeze thanks to Handshake, and within a matter of days I was able to interview with the Director of the Student Technology Center (STC), Laurel Logan. Right off the bat, I knew she would be an excellent boss to work for. She made the interview process very comfortable and made sure to make the point that, at the end of the day, you are a student first, and school should always come before this job.
Shortly after my interview I was offered the position. Laurel and the other Full Time Staff members at the STC worked with me to create a work schedule that worked around my class times, club meetings, and the free time I wanted to keep open for myself. Also, the best part, the office is a 3 minute walk away from my dorm, located right next to the Honors college.
“You know nothing about tech, how are you going to succeed in this job?”
A question I asked myself multiple times before I had my first day of work. Granted I know my way around my phone and laptop, but had no experience on the back-side of technology. My fears were quickly put at ease when I started my training. I was paired with other student employees who walked me through the basics of the software we use when we take calls, and some of the common issues students, staff, and faculty call in about. I was able to listen in on phone calls for as long as I needed before I felt comfortable to start taking my own. When I started taking calls, my trainers would sit with me, listen to my calls, and assist when I needed help. Which was quite a lot at first. Overall, the support provided by the Full Time Staff, and fellow student workers created an environment that allowed me to feel comfortable while learning an entirely new set of skills, in an entirely new professional environment.
Getting in the Groove
After about two weeks of training, I was able to start taking phone calls on my own, and feel comfortable doing so. There were, of course, things that I would not know how to fix, but a quick spin in the chair would put me face to face with about 8 other co-workers who were more than willing to help out while I had the customer on hold. If we couldn’t figure out the solution to a problem, there were 10 Full Time IT professionals in the office willing to do whatever it took not only to find a solution, but make sure I understood how we were fixing the issue together. Let me tell you, we would get some pretty crazy calls, or have to be there when things would break. Anyone remember the Great Wifi Outage of the 2019 Fall semester, cause I certainly do. We were there to take phone calls and help students and staff get re-connected when the wifi was back up and running.
Work Life Balance
I think it is important to interject here and state that I was able to attend all my class meetings, all my club meetings, complete homework, end the semester with great grades, work part-time, and I still had plenty of time to hangout with friends in North Quad, spend way to long at the Dub’s Ice Cream bar, and head down to Phoenix to spend time with my family on the weekends.
Room for Growth
I am now a Junior writing this blog post, and you’re probably wondering why a Student Technician is writing a blog post. Well, in my time at the STC, I was introduced to multiple paths that would allow me to grow, and develop professional skills while still having the flexibility of being a student employee. Firstly, after about a year of working at the STC, I applied to be on the leadership team and become a Senior Student Technician. I interviewed with multiple members of the ITS team, and eventually was offered the position. In this new role, I still answered phones, but myself and my fellow Senior Technicians were responsible for making sure the other Tier 1 Student Technicians had the resources they needed in order to succeed in their job. We would also meet with the Full Time Staff in order to implement ways that would make this job better for student employees, develop new trainings in order to keep up with the ever changing world of technology at NAU, and create an inclusive work environment for everyone. Working on the leadership team has given me countless opportunities to expand my professional skill set.
Recently, I decided to apply for an entirely new position in a different department of ITS, a position that more closely aligns with my studies as a Strategic Communications Major. I was able to apply for the Communications Assistant position and work under Arianne Yago, who is the Communications Analyst for ITS. I now split my time 50/50 with my Senior Tech position at the STC, and my new position as a Communications Assistant. As a Communications Assistant, I create graphics for the ITS Social Media pages, (follow us @NAUITS if you have not already) assist with photo and video shoots, and write blog posts for this page.
In conclusion, making the decision to join the ITS team of student employees was one of the best decisions I have made while in college. This job allows me to have a flexible and comfortable schedule while still prioritizing school work, provides me with an income, and has allowed me to gain so much experience working in a professional environment.
If you are thinking about working on campus, consider applying for a position in ITS.
