<p>I just got my username and password for TartanTrak, which is really confusing. So I was wondering, do I look for work-study jobs for fall now using TartanTrak? Or do I apply for jobs when I get to Carnegie?</p>
<p>Apply for jobs in August when you get to campus. Although you can apply now, most professors aren’t around campus and aren’t really interested in hiring for fall projects yet. Additionally, the work study interview process is extremely informal, and they usually will just drop you an email like “ok come in tomorrow and we’ll chat about possibly hiring you.” It’ll be a little awkward if they tell you to come in and interview and your reply is “oh, I won’t be on campus for another month and a half.” :)</p>
<p>I’ve worked… 4 work study jobs now in different capacities (one per semester) and have interviewed for 6-7 of them, so I have some experience here. Feel free to ask questions or shoot me a PM if you want to know more.</p>
<p>Thanks! I was getting really confused navigating through TartanTrak, especially since a lot of the jobs weren’t Pittsburgh based.</p>
<p>My S found an on campus job without work study also. The process was very informal and jobs were posted frequently by departments. I was surprised how much work was available on campus both for work study and regular. I would wait to get to campus and know your schedule and to try to get some advice from upper classmen on what are good jobs for first year students. I am sure Kate can give you some pointers in this respect. I advised my son to get a job that, if possible, would force him to have some structure in his days that were the most open schedule-wise…amazing how with all that time you run out of time just frittering it away. So if Friday or Wednesday you have big chunks of open time don’t assume you will use it to get lots of homework done…rather, schedule a 3-4 hour shift on those days so that you will use your compressed window of free time more efficiently. Worked for him. </p>
<p>For freshman, the choice of job should not be mainly something to enhance your resume but you should find one that is mainly a source of income with few intellectual demands because your brain is still adjusting to the college curriculum. I had a great job as a monitor for an all girls dorm (old fashioned checkin/out of boys between 6-midnight). I just did homework and knew the names of all the guys on campus and I was the go-to for the latest gossip. Later I worked in on-campus restaurants and then as a research assistant. It was a good path of increasing demands on my time and brain. Be careful not to take on too much too soon. You can always add on more work hours and activities when you find that you can handle your classes. Good luck!</p>