Brigham Young University

Research assistant

April 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I learned a lot about how to be an engineer and how to do research

What I wish was different

It would have been nice to get paid a little more

Advice

Work as hard as you can.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

MTC Teacher

May 2018 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I liked getting paid to teach the gospel.

What I wish was different

I wish the hours were different. I was working from 5:45-9:15 every night.

Advice

It is a very rewarding job

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Custodian

August 2017 • Provo, UT

What I liked

Very fun environment with good coworkers. There was a feeling of family.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had been given the chance to lead more.

Advice

Take a custodial job, they don't require heavy thinking and are sometimes very relaxing. I was able to listen to audiobooks while I worked.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

EFY counselor

June - August 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved working with youth and having a job that kept me active! This job is so fulfilling.

What I wish was different

I wish that the schedule had not been so rigorous. The job becomes your life for a few weeks.

Advice

Soak it all up and give it your all. The summer is over before you know it. Also, seek to constantly improve as a teacher and mentor but don't be too hard on yourself.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant

September 2017 - December 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

It was a great opportunity to build my skills as a researcher and to make myself a more competitive applicant for graduate school.

What I wish was different

I don't know if I would change much of my experience. It was a great year and a half of experience with a strong mentor and my bench work and microbial skills increased greatly.

Advice

Get involved early so that there's plenty of time to make a worthwhile contribution before you move on.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Client Success Specialist

June 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved the flexible hours and the ability to interact with an amazing team who were always encouraging one another.

What I wish was different

I wouldn't change anything about it.

Advice

I would encourage students to keep their Handshake profiles up to date, and always be looking for new job postings because there are so many that are available.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Animal Surgeon

July 2018 - December 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I liked the opportunity to be able to learn more about my future field of study and be able to work hands-on with the veterinarian. She was very supportive and taught many different things to help all of the team succeed.

What I wish was different

I wish that it could have been a paid position, for the amount of time that I devoted to the team.

Advice

It is a good opportunity, but make sure you go in for the right reasons. Obviously, not all experience is paid, and you have to sometimes take the experience over the paycheck. If your only reason for joining the team is to get into medical school, you're going to hate being a part of it, because there aren't very many surgeons on the team and you most likely won't be one during your first semesters on the team. Stick with it, and enjoy being part of the team, and be willing to work and you're going to get places!

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Graduate Research Assistant

August 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

Research is something I have never worked on before. I've been able to learn a lot about different topics.

What I wish was different

Training on the best practices and resources on how to do effective research.

Advice

If you want a flexible schedule and learn interesting things, research is a great option.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Aerodynamics Research Assistant

April 2018 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I liked how I can work on my own time. It allowed me to take time off to go on trips and have a summer. I also loved getting to learn what the forefront of the aerodynamics community is like and how I can better join that community. It also makes for a good school job.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more regular hours and more clear goals. Working on your own discretion is hard sometimes, especially for the entire summer because other things like classes, friends or food would take priority over work. Also, having your own direction can be difficult to know what you should do from day to day.

Advice

I suggest taking time to plan. Plan when you work. Plan your goals. Plan your tasks to accomplish you goals. Plan how long those tasks should take. Plan. Then follow that plan.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Sound Engineering Technician

May - September 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved my boss and the job itself. It was very flexible and low stressed but still challenged my abilities so I became more proficient and my job.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

If you can get a technical skill you will be able to get much better jobs that pays more and is more fun to do.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

April 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

Flexibility

What I wish was different

More interaction with supervisor

Advice

This works for individuals who are self-motivated

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant

April 2016 • Provo, UT

What I liked

Good experience

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Such good experience!

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Math Research Intern

May - September 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved the close team environment and the interdisciplinary work.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been slightly more organized, or that my employer could have given me more direction

Advice

Research is best for self-motivated people. You probably aren't going to get a lot of direction, and you have to be comfortable working with minimal supervision. Still a wonderful experience though.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant

August 2019 • East London, Eastern Cape

What I liked

Being in the homes of the people and being able to hear of their personal experiences with family structure and child well-being was really amazing. The people there are so humble, kind, and hard-working, and I enjoyed every second of being able to soak in their culture and experience.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant

April 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I liked the hands-on, self-directed work. I liked the amount of personal growth experienced.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time in the summer. I do not wish I had done a different job.

Advice

Make the most out of what you have and each year will be better than the last.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research assistant

February 2018 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I liked the flexibility. My coworkers were fun and the professor I worked with was very understanding and awesome!

What I wish was different

There could be better communication about what things needed to be done so we could be more efficient.

Advice

Dive into whatever experience you have the opportunity to persue!

Be the first to mark this as helpful

College Teaching Assistant

August 2016 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I love being a teaching assistant and making a difference in the lives of my students. Everyone should have the opportunity to succeed.

What I wish was different

I honestly liked every aspect of it.

Advice

If you have the chance to be a teaching assistant, definitely do it. I feel like this is more than a job! It's a way to serve and give back to others while doing something I love.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

April 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

It's important to get any and all experience that you can as an undergrad, so I would advise students to start early! That's what I did with this job, and it has already brought me even more research opportunities.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Assistant

May - August 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved the environment and how safe and welcoming BYU was as an employer.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had had a supervisor who would have been more understanding of being a student with a full time job.

Advice

Working a job in your field of study is the way to go! I am so happy that I did this because it reaffirmed that this is the job I want to pursue in my life. Everyone needs to have that moment when they know that they have found employment that best suits their interests, abilities, and personality.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

June 2018 • Provo, UT

What I liked

Not having to juggle homework and classes made the research experience so much better! It felt good to really dive deep into the things I was studying and not feel pressured to use my time elsewhere.

What I wish was different

Lab work can have an unpredictable schedule, but the craziness can be minimized with consistent, daily planning after you see all your results. If I had been more organized, I would have had less late nights and a better work-life balance.