Sophomore Vanessa White used to work off-campus to help pay for her tuition. She had to take the Metro to and from her job, pay for transportation and worry about walking home late at night.

With her on-campus job at Ticketmaster she does not have to worry about extra costs or safety.

“It’s more convenient to work on-campus because you don’t have to pay for the Metro, but also your bosses understand you’re a student,” White said. “Any job that allows you to do homework while getting paid is the best job you can get.”

GW is one of the most expensive universities in the country. It is not uncommon for students to have jobs to pay off loans or to fund their social lives.

To help students find jobs, the University’s Career Center offers a program called GWork, which makes finding jobs a lot easier, said Jeffrey Dagly, the center’s director of communications. GWork is an online service in which employers list jobs for work study and non-work study, he said.

Lizzy Drobnick, a first-year graduate student that also works at Ticketmaster, said she agrees with White. When she was writing her thesis last year she took the morning shift because it was less busy, leaving more time to work on her paper.

“It was great. By the time people started to come in to buy tickets, I had already gotten my work done and then I could focus on customers,” Drobnick said.

Federal work-study is a program that allows students to earn wages while still in school. In order to qualify students must meet requirements through their financial aid package. Students apply and are interviewed, then eligible. Once hired, they are allowed to choose their desired job through GWork or at the career fair, Dagly said.

Gelman Library is the number one choice among students to work because it is in the center of campus and provides plenty of downtime.

Students usually work at the circulation or reference desks.

During her freshman year, a friend told Emilie Deans, a recently graduated senior, about the opportunities at Gelman. Since then, she has been hooked.

“You have flexible hours and it’s not that hard to do. You see your friends coming in all day and you get to talk to them,” Deans said.

Working at the circulation involves customer service while checking books in and out. The starting pay is $9.50 per hour, supervisors at Gelman said. The great thing about this job is that students can sometimes sneak in some homework while at work.

Next up is the school bookstore. The best perk of this job is that one may receive discounts on anything you purchase inside the store. The starting wage is $8 per hour and the hours are flexible.

System and Network Support may sound scary at first, but not to worry, this job does not just apply to those who are computer savvy. Employees receive all the skills you need via training on the job. With this job, students remain on-call responding to technical support for administrative staff. Starting pay is $10 per hour.

GW Spirit (cheerleaders, dancers and mascots) is also a top pick among students. Partaking in GW Spirits is not a formal job, but in return for your involvement you receive scholarships. Participating in GW Band is another way to receive scholarships. In order to participate in the GW spirit department, there is an audition process. With GW spirit, you gain full access to basketball games.

Residential Property Management also offers student positions. Students can work either in the key depot, handling an assortment of key issues (lockouts, lost keys, etc.), or helping handle other maintenance issues in residence halls. There is also the option to apply for a summer job with RPM that provides free summer housing. Starting pay is $9.25 per hour.

Coming to the Marvin Center this September are both the Federal Work Study Job Fair and the Fall Career Fair. The two events let you talk to career counselors directly and are the best way to get your job search started, Dagley said.

–-Brittany Levine contributed to this report.