Is Work-Study Worth It?

Have you ever wondered about those on-campus jobs? At Centenary, work-study is where students and the university strike a deal: study and get paid. But is it actually worth it? I decided to jump in some school gear and find out.

I asked a couple of students with different work-study gigs to get their honest opinions. 

First up was Erin Cooper, sophomore animal science major and Resident Advisor (RA). She kept it pretty simple, saying, "I get treated pretty fairly, just like everyone else. The workload is chill unless I ask for more."  Afterwards, I asked her if she’d put it on her resume and if she gets paid in a timely manner. Her answers were definitely yes! 

Then I caught up with Troy Sumpter, senior creative writing major of Omega Rho, who is employed at Student Activities, and got a similar response about his work-study experience. "It helps me connect with people! I love throwing out ideas!" As for how he's treated? "Same as everyone else." And yep, he's adding it to his resume, too. I even asked about getting paid on time, and he said, it all depends on what bank you use, because some banks give you your money a few days before payday, but yes, you do get paid on time. 

The next student was named Valentina Lopez, welcome center tour guide. When asked about how she felt about the writing collab and its benefits, she said “I feel that work study is beneficial for students on campus. It is a simple way to balance work and studying. It can offer a supportive environment for students. I do get treated well on campus. The students and staff are very respectful and understanding. I also think I was able to develop better time management skills and gain experience on campus. Having a work study has helped me build connections with staff and students alike.” 

And with the last question being if she would put this on a resume, she said “Yes, I would put my experience on a resume because it demonstrates my work ethic. As well as showcasing my management skills.”

I also interviewed Dominic Salot, senior communication major, who works as a play-by-play commentator for the Centenary athletics livestreams. I asked the same questions to a previous student in which he said, “Being a part of work study is a cool experience because you just automatically build a relationship/friendship with your coworkers because everyone is helping one another.” When asked about his resume he responded,  "I would, because my position that I have working for the school is what I want to do with my career when I graduate.” 

During my research, I was curious and got in touch with the HR department, where they showed me how many students are in Work Study. Check out the breakdown:

​So, is Work Study worth it? Based on what Cooper, Sumpter, Salot, and Lopez said, and all those students racking up experience across campus, it seems like a pretty sweet deal!