With tuition and housing costs rising every year, it should be no surprise that Guilford students are taking every opportunity they can to make a little extra cash. But working on campus has many benefits beyond the paycheck.

Some jobs available to students have more of an on-campus presence than others. Tour guides are some of the first students that visitors see at Guilford.

“It’s something of a power trip,” said Daniel Hood, a senior and tour guide. “You have this influence over someone’s college choice, a choice that could affect their entire life. I get to share everything I love about Guilford, and hopefully I convince people to come here, and they can grow to love Guilford too.”

Like tour guides, Resident Advisors are highly influential over students at Guilford, according to junior Kaitlyn LeClair, an RA in Binford.

“It’s a lot of work, but the benefits are worth it,” said LeClair. “We get a bonus at the end of the semester, but the main attraction of being an RA is the housing compensation.”

LeClair also lists non-monetary benefits for being an RA.

“Being an RA teaches you so much,” said LeClair. “Communication skills, teamwork, budgeting; it’s helped me a lot. And it looks great on a resumé.”

Resumé-boosting and skill development often go hand-in-hand. This is one reason that Karen Swindells, bookstore manager, prefers to hire students. Another reason comes from her own past.

“I got my start working in the campus bookstore when I was in college,” said Swindells. “I like being able to give that back.”

Working as a student is a great way to prepare for life outside of college, according to Swindells.

“You have to find that balance of being a student and being an employee, and having your own life,” said Swindells. “If you can practice while you’re still in school, you’ll be better off when you graduate.”

Based on her experiences at the Learning Commons, senior Madeleine Straubel has discovered an affinity for the work, and hopes to find employment at a place similar to the Learning Commons after graduating.

“This has been a great opportunity,” said Straubel. “Working in the Learning Commons has given me a greater understanding of how people learn and what that means for them.”

Other jobs available through the Learning Commons are tutoring and note taking, though writing tutors are required to take a class offered by the Learning Commons, said Straubel.

Some departmental tutors, such as those available via Chemistry 911, are organized by the Learning Commons, said Rob Whitnell, professor of chemistry.

The chemistry department also has stockroom, clerical, lab assistant, and teaching assistant jobs, according to Whitnell.

“Clerical and stockroom assistants have typically been paid positions,” said Whitnell. “For the TA positions, we offer students the option to be paid, to do an independent study for academic credit, or as a volunteer.”

Volunteering is another way to build your resumé and develop skills that may help you find a job later on. Lucas Blanchard-Glueckert works at the Greenleaf Coffee Co-op. Greenleaf workers are not paid, but they receive other benefits, according to Blanchard-Glueckert.

“We have dinner every Friday,” said Blanchard-Glueckert. “We also have a retreat coming up. And being with all the amazing people at the Greenleaf is a benefit in itself.”

Whether your goal is pizza money, employable skills, or just making friends, an on-campus job may be the solution.

“Working while in college forces you to wake up,” said Swindells. “You start preparing for your life, and isn’t that what college is about?”