Students have many responsibilities during their academic years at college. Writing papers, participating in hall meetings, active in school organizations and, of course, finding a job to pay the bills. However, not every student is fortunate enough to have a vehicle with them on campus to physically take them to all of these responsibilities.

So how do these students get themselves to their jobs? With the campus being located near downtown Marquette, there is an array of jobs for students to apply to within walking distance, eliminating the need for a vehicle.

For Esperanza Vargas Macías, graduate assistant, finding a job within walking distance from where she lives has been hard but not impossible for everyone.

“It has been difficult since the options are so limited when you’re looking for jobs in walking distance,” Macías said. “That and there’s not a wide variety of jobs available in walking distance of where I live so my options are to do jobs I don’t want or have no experience in, which also makes it hard to get hired.”

Macías said that it all depends on where you live with whether or not Marquette has walking-friendly jobs.

“Definitely not anything by 41 but the stuff downtown is pretty walkable if you live in the area,” Macías said.

For students looking for jobs off-campus, Macías said that her tip is to simply walk into a conveniently-located business and ask if they are hiring.

As for on-campus jobs, students can find available openings at NMU either on the student employment application or on Handshake. Some students are also eligible for the federal work study. FWS is a type of financial aid that encourages college students to engage in part-time employment while attending college.

To qualify for FWS, you must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid and indicate on it that you are interested in FWS, demonstrate financial need through the results of your FAFSA, and meet the satisfactory and measurable progress standards. According to the Financial Aid site, FWS is not directly applied to your bill, but is paid in a biweekly check based on hours worked and level of hourly wage.

However, students who are not eligible for the FWS can still find work on campus. Career Services can help students find work on campus with an updated list of available jobs on campus, jobs off campus, jobs for those interested in childcare, tutoring, handyperson work or office work and temporary jobs.

Career Services can also help students find many valuable services to help later in their careers (i.e., internships, full-time job assistance, workshops, etc.).

According to an article on working while in college by The University of Arizona Global Campus, more than 70% of students work during their time at college. In addition to earning money, those who work while in school are also potentially gaining relevant experience to their future career path by developing a set of professional skills that many employers are looking for post-graduation.

According to NMU’s Financial Aid, studies have shown that students who work while in college have, on average, better grades than those who do not work.

One study on the Financial Aid website states that working while in college also helps students become more organized, tests and helps develop work skills and knowledge, learn more about the community, teaches valuable work habits that allow for further exploring of different career options and provides students with important references for future jobs and/or graduate school.

NMU Financial Aid is an on-campus source students can use to find jobs both on and off-campus as well as other academic/career-building skills, benefiting not only in college but post-education as well.

The Financial Aid Office is located at 2107 C.B. Hedgcock, which is accessible from Tracy Avenue and Seventh Street entrances and located across from the Learning Resources Center and Thomas Fine Arts. The office is located on the main floor, behind the Student Service Center.

During the summer, the office will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

To contact the Financial Aid Office, e-mail [email protected] or call 906-227-2327.