Bar work is a good way of combining socialising with work, particularly if you get a job in the student union bar. The downside is that bars typically need staff to work on Friday and Saturday nights - a time when you might want to be doing other things.

Likewise, a lot of shop work is available on Saturdays when you might be needing to visits parents, friends etc.

Any work that develops transferable skills will be an asset for when you graduate. For example, good administration skills are needed in all managerial work, so some experience of office work is good for a CV.

Working as a waiter/waitress may not seem to offer many transferable skills, but such work is excellent experience for anyone looking to work in the hospitality and leisure areas.

Finally, besides work that you can do during the college year, summer work can be an excellent way of paying debts or saving money to go to college with as one can work full-time during the summer. If you live anywhere near a tourist area then you should be able to find work quite easily. If you don't, then factories, hospitals etc often take people on in the summer to cover for permanent staff taking summer holidays.

I did a lot of student jobs. The best, by far, was when I managed to find some labouring work. If you can find this, the rate of pay is usually higher than other unskilled work and, if you can find a construction firm working to a contract deadline, there can be an awful lot of lucrative overtime available.

Learn more about this author, Steve Martin.
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