All work-study jobs are not created equal.
While many positions require University student workers to complete tasks from behind a desk, others offer opportunities to travel the campus, conduct research, complete surveys and fulfill other unexpected duties.
Full-time students are offered community service work with more than 20 agencies or on-campus jobs.
Courtney Mills, climatology junior, has a student worker job with LSU Recycles. Mills’ responsibilities include driving a golf cart around campus to check, empty and clean recycling bins.
Mills said a friend recommended the job, encouraging her to fill out an application, meet with Solid Waste and Recycling Manager Andres Harris and begin working.
“This is more exciting than a normal job,” Mills said. “I get to drive a golf cart, which is awesome. I get to spend my day outside, and there’s always something to do and always something to work on. It’s not your typical sit at a desk and work on homework job.”
Mills said she believes she is paid more than people who have a desk job, but she also doesn’t get as much free time for homework while she’s on the job.
“Campus jobs are really nice because they work around your schedule, and I like how you’re a student first,” she said. “If I want to work extra hours I can do that too. It’s cool in terms of flexibility.”
With a 20-hour per week limit, student workers can make up to $2,400 each year through an hourly wage paid bi-weekly.
Brett Percle, biology sophomore, is involved in a work-study program with the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology in the Life Science Building. Percle said he works with plant tissue cultures, studying diseases and viruses in sweet potato plants.
“We have sweet potato plants growing inside tubes in the lab,” Percle said. “If they get too big for the tubes, I’ll cut their stems and put it in new tube to regrow a new species of the same plant.”
Percle said student workers in the department have greater opportunities for higher levels of research, such as DNA extraction.
“Anyone who wants to go into research should do this,” he said. “They give us practical work to do that we would use if we were to be scientists when we grow up.”
Percle said his wages for working in this research department start out with similar wages of the average student worker, but the pay can increase over time.
“Unlike other student worker jobs, we can work as much as we want because it is a researcher position,” he said. “I can work as many hours as I want in a week, which is great, especially when I’m trying to get extra money.”
Jack Holloway, political science freshman, has a work-study job at the Public Policy Research Lab in the Manship School Research Facility.
Holloway said he conducts surveys of Louisiana residents about health care so Louisiana state officials can form policies based on the data.
“I like what I’m doing,” Holloway said. “It’s interesting to talk with some of the people living in Louisiana. When they tell you a sad story, you feel for them. You also hear interesting stories from people who make their own businesses.”
Holloway also said he enjoys the flexibility of a student job conveniently located on campus.
“You can do what you want as long as you’re producing,” he said.
Undergraduate students in need of monetary aid can apply for the Federal College Work-Study program by completing the FAFSA forms early in the school year, according to the LSU Financial Aid web site.
 
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Contact Morgan Searles at
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