One of the first things you might notice about coming to college is how much everything… One of the first things you might notice about coming to college is how much everything costs. Food, movies, clothes and other random expenses can add up in a hurry, which is why it’s no wonder many college students opt to get a job outside their studies to earn a little spending money or prepare for student loans.

However, getting a job really is a major decision, with major ramifications if you don’t take it seriously. Believe me, I know: I have two. I work 20 hours a week at a local hotel – which will remain nameless in case I want to say mean things about it later (in case my boss is reading this, that was totally a joke and in no way true) – and also writing for the newspaper you’re reading right now. Between all these activities it can be difficult to find time for school work, much less any social life outside of it, so as someone with a little experience under my belt, allow me to offer a few pointers.

First, there’s the whole thing about getting a job. This can be harder than it sounds, unless you know where to look. My suggestion is to keep an eye out for fliers and scan the classified ads now and again. Sooner or later something interesting will come up, but it’s important not to be impatient and rush into the first employer that accepts you. Instead, be sure it fits all your criteria for what you’re looking for and doesn’t interfere too heavily with the rest of your life.

Second, make sure that the place you want to work is flexible with your hours. I can assure you that at some point you will have a conflict between work and some other event, and you need to make sure that your workplace is OK with letting you have the night off or allowing you to leave a few hours early. Additionally, try to find a job that makes the effort to work around your class schedule, so that it still leaves you enough time to study or have fun on the side.

Building off that last point, it’s also important that you don’t work too much. My hotel job is about 20 hours a week, and if it were any more than that I probably wouldn’t have time to finish all my schoolwork. Pick a threshold for your work hours, so that you’re not working too much but you’re still working enough to meet your goals. Sometimes it can be hard to balance your work hours and school hours, which is why I also suggest planning out a study schedule so you have dedicated times to work, study and have fun, too.

Third, and possibly most importantly, make sure you enjoy your job. No matter how much money you’re making, if you’re not having at least a little bit of fun while you’re doing it, it’s not worth it. I worked in a factory last summer, and it was probably the least fun you could possibly have at a job. Eight or 10 hours of total monotony, stacking index cards or notebooks in boxes, boxes on pallets, pallets on more pallets