North Texas Daily

Linda Kessler / Staff Writer

With tuition rising on average 8 percent per year, it’s not surprising one of the most common reasons students work through college is to pay off their tuition, but finding employment while attending school can be challenging.

The 2011 United States Census reported that out of 19.7 million undergraduates, 72 percent had a job, with 20 percent working full time and 50 percent working less than that. UNT offers resources to help students find employment, but limited transportation and busy class schedules uniquely impede students.

Before she got her car, music education senior Sarah Ketz said lack of transportation restricted her job search to on-campus positions only. Ketz said she applied to upwards of 40 on-campus positions since her sophomore year and was just hired last semester.

She said she understands she didn’t have the requested availability for every position, but considering on-campus jobs probably have hundreds of applicants, she’s afraid her applications were never even seen.

“I do have a car, so if I chose to take an off-campus job it would not be an issue,” mechanical and energy engineering sophomore Amy’rie Amaon said. “However, the difficulty to find parking near Honors Hall, where I live, presents a problem.”

UNT has an on-campus career center where employees offer workshops on how to find jobs, career training and how to create an attractive resume. Students can even get business cards.

Interdisciplinary studies junior Kayley Stubblefield said she visited the career center and received resume help.

“My advice is to make connections and find people with the jobs you want because most likely they can help you find a job in the future,” she said.

UNT also has the Eagle Network job searching system to help students find work study, part-time and full-time positions on campus as well as off campus, but results may vary.

“I had to submit a resume and apply for the job via Eagle Network,” mechanical and energy engineering junior and Kerr Hall resident assistant Matthew McIntosh said. “For on-campus jobs, I’ve heard it can be really helpful but for off-campus positions, it just depends on your field.”

Amaon said she has used the Eagle Network as a resource in her job search and likes the accessibility of the site, but finds it can be unclear.

Applying to be a resident assistant was an obvious choice for McIntosh, he said, because it is such a well-known position. He said his advice to students still looking for a job was to be persistent.

“I’ve always sent out as many resumes as I can,” McIntosh said. “Always try to force that communication with the employer and call them to help get your foot in the door. Don’t expect them to contact you.”