I wish there was more time in my day to work during school.
Advice
Network and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s okay to not be perfect/an expert.
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Student Worker
May 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I liked the flexibility with the hours and how friendly the staff is. It was easy to get a shift covered if needed but I always liked coming into work. Gaining a different perspective on how the university works was also incredibly interesting.
What I wish was different
Staff can be really passive aggressive if they have an issue with what you're doing which at times can be disheartening and come across unprofessional. All in all, it's a very easy job with very few con.
Advice
Just don't be lazy and you'll be fine!
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Software Developer
June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
Working with the legacy code for the first and flexible time frame
What I wish was different
Advice
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Front Desk Receptionist
May 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
This employer views academics as more important than work, so they prioritize student workers’ studies first, which was very different from my time in food service.
What I wish was different
Advice
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FMS
May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
Enjoyed the people, atmosphere and the higher-ups. The job was perfect if you had other things you might want to work on here and there throughout the day.
What I wish was different
I would be nice to have a bit more consistent work, work fluxed from productive ongoing to hanging out for a bit killing time before the next big push.
Advice
It was a great summer experience and allowed me to make money and not only learn more about my school from the people that work it all year long, but also meet some interesting co-workers and people just like me.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
The hands-on experience and learning opportunities.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Research Student
May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
Knowing that I could develop a product that was several thousand dollars for a tenth of the price.
What I wish was different
Time management skills for the research group could have been better
Advice
Figure out whether or not research is something you like
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Orientation Leader
August 2018 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
The team environment was a very enjoyable experience. Everyone working there was all about having fun. I did this for two years and had a great experience both times.
What I wish was different
The organization of training could have been a little better. As a second year Orientation Leader, I had to listen to the same presentations both years, so I think it could have been better orchestrated for non-first timers.
Advice
Get used to constantly working in teams. It is very rare that you do anything on your own.
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Pool Lifeguard
July - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
The people I worked with and a sense of service. Our boss wass new but constantly making improvements and helping us keep our life saving skills up to date and well practiced.
What I wish was different
Advice
Summer lifeguarding can be really boring if you let it. Open up to the people you work with even if you don't know then or they don't reachout to you. Ddurrinig the summer the lifeguards are a small tight group since most guards have gone homee for the summer.
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Packaging Dynamics lab technician
January 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
It is one of the best jobs on campus and I still get real world packaging experience in school.
What I wish was different
Nothing
Advice
Look for things on campus to do that will benefit you for your career in your major.
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Undergraduate Researcher
May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
Doing mathematics that will have real world applications.
What I wish was different
More involvement with my professor. He just sort of left me on my own for the summer.
Advice
Be motivated, and have an interest in what you're doing.
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Field Research
May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I liked that I was able to work outside in different environments each day. I had also never done research like this before so it was very interesting and I learned a lot from the job.
What I wish was different
Thinking about it now, there is nothing I wish would have been different.
Advice
I would advise people to go into the work with an open mind and you will learn so much more than you thought.
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Research Assistant
May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
The project was working on ventricular assist devices.
What I wish was different
It was a bit slow.
Advice
Don't wait for someone to tell you what to do. Ask if there are things to do and come up with ideas to share with others.
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Researcher
June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I enjoyed meeting new people and working at the same school I go to.
What I wish was different
I wish that work was done closer to the apartment we were housed in than it was.
Advice
Complete the entire program so you can have something special to add to your resume for when you do job searching.
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Student Employee
May - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I really enjoyed the calm, laid back atmosphere of the office. Everyone was very friendly, making it easy to learn and pick up new tasks easily.
What I wish was different
I wish that I had applied sooner.
Advice
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Adjunct instructor
June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I tought 3D printing at a research university as a professional staff member. It was cool.
What I wish was different
I wish i worked longer. 2 months of making money was less than i would have preferred.
Advice
It was a lot of work, others should be ready if they want to do it too.
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Student Ambassador
July 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
The environment was really positive and everyone genuinely enjoyed working there.
What I wish was different
I wish the pay had been a little more since we are the faces of RIT to the outside world.
Advice
Put yourself in a job you genuinely enjoy.
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Research Assistant
June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
Being able to work full time in a research lab is an amazing experience. Coming in everyday and solving new problems and watching a project progress is extremely fulfilling.
What I wish was different
My only wish is that the experience was longer! 10 weeks goes by faster than you'd think.
Advice
Be sure to really make the most of this time, you can pick up so many valuable skills in the lab that you can't learn from your classes. It really helps your own understanding to tie the theory to the experimental, so pay attention and don't miss the chance to do so!
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Research Software Engineer
June - August 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
I learned many new things and made so many amazing friends in the program.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Go out of your comfort zone! Be open-minded that every stranger has a story and travels far!
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Research Assistant
May 2019 • Rochester, NY
What I liked
The independence to pursue a specific area of research we were interested in. I was entrusted with solving complex problems involving coding, imaging, and physics that I initially knew very little about. My advisors believed I could solve any problem they threw at me, and that meant a lot.
What I wish was different
I wish there had been a bit more structure to the program, though the freeform style ended up working for us.
Advice
Don't be daunted by an avalanche of words or concepts you don't know. Learning is the whole point of doing research!
