Landing a Job While Taking Day Classes

August 17, 2006 11:44 AM

Landing a job while going to classes during the day?

My girlfriend is a graphic designer that's attending an art school full time, which offers very few night courses and this upcoming semester on 4 days out of 5, she'll be tied up on campus for most of the day.. She currently has a job with very flexible hours, but she's looking for one closer to her school. Graphic design seems like a field that should be amenable to flexible hours, but how should bring up the subject with a potential employer? In the interview? On her resume? What's the best way to talk about it if the subject comes up?

posted by empath to work & money (4 comments total)

I know someone who used to work a nigh shift at a Kinko's business services location doing graphic design. That might be an option.

Newspapers also often have late shifts for designers.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 11:58 AM on August 17, 2006

She should say, "I'd prefer to wait tables during the dinner shift." Welcome to being a student.

Probably pays better than graphic design, anyway, if its a decent enough resturaunt.
posted by ChasFile at 12:14 PM on August 17, 2006

Seconding the newspaper idea - that's sort of a 3 or 4 (p.m.) to 11 or 12 kind of job. And it's really good, meaningful experience that could be parlayed into a really good job.

Also seconding restaurant work - that's classic for a college student.

Kinkos starting pay is very low in many cities. I worked at Kinkos in college and started at $6.25. Plus, it's a sucky place to work. Trust me.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 12:27 PM on August 17, 2006

Freelance if she wants to do graphic design specifically.

If she's good with InDesign, Quark. Photoshop, etc., she may want to look into production. They tend to have nightshifts, places like Aquent will respect her schedule. I learned more about agencies and procedures from production work than from grad school.

If she's got some daytime hours (like Tuesday, etc.) she could even go to a staffing agency that can put her in a production studio for a day, or a nighttime shift, which tend to be more likely in production studios. Aquent & similar cater to this. (Having a good background in production can make her graphic design more practical, more effective and give her an edge in her career, too.)
posted by Gucky at 12:32 PM on August 17, 2006 [1 favorite]