By Tiffany Ling ’27
On Wednesday and Friday mornings, the lobby of 15 Beekman is packed with my classmates, pushing through the revolving doors, eager to go to class, the library, or to catch up with friends. Unlike most of my peers, I’m zooming toward the Brooklyn Bridge City Hall subway station, making a beeline for the uptown 6 train. At my stop— Astor Place, I’m greeted by the neo-Italian, Renaissance style doors of the Ottendorfer Library, my place of employment. Although my commute to work is often not as straightforward as described above, I find my job to be a rewarding endeavor.
When I committed to Pace this past Spring, I knew that I wanted to hold a part-time job while earning my bachelor’s degree. Getting a job off campus appealed to me because I would have the opportunity to explore the city during my commute, and learn how to use New York City’s public transportation. I might also want to enroll in the summer semester at Pace, and an off-campus job would offer me a certain job stability; where an on-campus job likely ends during the summers, an off-campus job could be work that I’m able to do year-round.
My experience working off campus as a college student started over the summer, when I began applying for open positions. Some factors I considered during this process were the job’s proximity to campus, and what my commute would be like. Because of NYC’s abundant public transportation, and how walkable it is, I looked for jobs in the East Village, Lower East Side, and the Financial District. Something else I kept in mind during the job search was the time commitment expected of me: how many days a week I would have to work, and for how long. During my interviews with potential employers, I also had to assess how flexible they could be with my class schedule since my academics do come first.
Because I was really proactive about job hunting over the summer, I was able to start work right at the beginning of the Fall semester, and I love it so far! There are many facets of my job that I appreciate, though this blog post can only be so long. By working off campus, I’ve met some really cool people that I would not have, had I gone after an on-campus job. Similarly, leaving campus to go to work gives me a breather from seeing the same exact people on campus every day. Additionally, the work I do is something I’m actually really passionate about: serving the public. Working under the New York Public Library system ensures that the patrons I serve are indeed members of the public, and not only the Pace community.
While there are so many great things about my job, I would be lying if I said that there weren’t some drawbacks to working off campus too. It took me quite a bit of trial and error to figure out my commute. During the first few weeks of the semester, I adjusted my schedule to allow myself some more time to get from the Pace campus to the Ottendorfer branch, but I think I have it down now! On rare occasions, I have been late to class because of factors outside of my control like train delays, and construction. Also, I feel a heavier personal responsibility to my employer because I’m working off campus. Generally, on-campus employers understand that you are a student, and they will put your education first. On the other hand, an off-campus employer will view you as an employee of their company first, rather than a student.
Although I’m only a freshman in college, I hope that I was still able to bring a valuable perspective to the table. My last word of advice: regardless of whether you decide to work on, off campus, or to not work at all, make sure that you’re putting your time into something you actually like, that adds to your college experience. After all, the four years in college go by very fast… so I’m told.