Trying to get a job in Brooklyn
October 8, 2010 10:09 AM   Subscribe

I'm a male college student who goes to College of Staten Island. I'm 19 and will be living in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn with my uncle. I've gotten things sorted out with how college tuition will work out for my best interests.

This is my second college year in a Computer Science major. At least for this semester, I'll be going to College of Staten Island - next probably Brooklyn College since it's very close.
I am wondering how easy it is to get a job in that area of Brooklyn and if there is anything that can increase my chances of getting a job there or not too far from it. I'm not picky to where I'll work, but I just need a job nearby for now. I've already applied for Starbucks, Target, and AT&T. (I'm open to traveling to Manhattan though.)
posted by antgly to Work & Money (12 answers total)
 
Have you gone to the employment office at your school? They might have some jobs on campus or know about part-time work.
posted by parmanparman at 10:27 AM on October 8, 2010


Response by poster: I'd prefer something closer to where I'll be living.
posted by antgly at 10:28 AM on October 8, 2010


I've been a Brooklyn College student for longer than I'd like to admit.

Your best bet is to get a job inside Brooklyn College. There's a Starbucks inside the Library Cafe and the bookstore is a B&N. The Shakespeare and Co. on Hillel is also an alright (albeit low-paying) place to work, and there's a Starbucks there as well. Flatbush Junction itself is just not a great place to be and not a great place to work, but that's 100% opinion. Further out along Avenue J is a pretty strong Orthodox Jewish enclave where finding work will be difficult (although not impossible) if you are also not Orthodox.
posted by griphus at 10:30 AM on October 8, 2010


I'd prefer something closer to where I'll be living.

Shifts for jobs within the school work with the school schedule rather than regular (first, second, third) shift hours.
posted by griphus at 10:31 AM on October 8, 2010


Have you checked villagevoice.com, craigslist and Brooklyn recruiters for something more along the line of an internship? There's lots in Brooklyn, movie theaters, book stores, restaurants, etc.
posted by eatdonuts at 10:46 AM on October 8, 2010


Response by poster: I want to encourage you to keep an open mind for what folks here come up with and resist the urge to keep popping in and rejecting things out of hand.

I'm not picky... I'm just stating a preference...
posted by antgly at 11:25 AM on October 8, 2010


Are you eligible for work study? That would get a job with good hours and good pay. If it is too late for this semester, look into it for next.
posted by cestmoi15 at 1:57 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]


OH! I totally forgot! The CS department has paid coding internships. If you intend to enter the field (don't worry, it's early, you don't have to be sure yet) you're much better off trying to get on one of those than retail or food service. Talk to the CS major adviser early and, more importantly, often. Make sure they know your face in the CS dept. so even if your skills aren't totally developed, they know who you are and may just throw you into a (paid) internship to see if you'll swim.
posted by griphus at 2:01 PM on October 8, 2010


(Check out the wall postings on floors 2-4 of [Old] Ingersoll. There's internship opportunity ads posted everywhere.)
posted by griphus at 2:03 PM on October 8, 2010


I'm really sorry for hijacking this thread, but if you haven't gone to Career Services at the Magner Center, do that as well. It's in James Hall.
posted by griphus at 2:05 PM on October 8, 2010


Yeah, if you're a coder, the best college job you can have is coding. Universities typically need a lot of interns; I paid a lot of tuition that way. If you couldn't find it at Brooklyn College (your best bet), you might be able to find some low-level job like that at college in southern Brooklyn (Kingsborough comes to mind, although that's kinda far).

For that matter, wouldn't COSI have similar jobs?
posted by zvs at 2:22 PM on October 8, 2010


Other perks of on-campus work:

- bosses are more understanding about academic stuff (test coming up, for example)
- you'll meet more people on campus
- the money is often good
- you'll get known as a responsible person to faculty that might later write you a letter of rec
posted by k8t at 11:10 PM on October 9, 2010


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