Photos by NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Eric
Chin works as a lab consultant at the CLICC, the College
Library Instructional Computing Commons.
By Marcelle Richards
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
As the school year rolls in and the money rolls out, finding a
job is a necessity that makes its way to the top of many
Bruins’ to-do lists.
Getting a job doesn’t have to be a headache if one knows
where to look. Going to the Career Center, Human Resources, or
strolling around campus can reveal the possibilities.
For freshmen and transfer students living in on-campus housing
without a car, employment at UCLA comes with the perks of flexible
hours and a student-friendly workplace, say many current
employees.
“I like the proximity,” said Carina Yuen, Kerckhoff
Coffeehouse senior student supervisor who enjoys the bustling hot
spot.
Though Yuen, a fourth-year psychology student, was initially
attracted to an on-campus job because of its convenience, she has
since discovered another reason to stay.
“What I found after I started working here, it’s
really nice to have a second home,” she said. “On such
a big campus it’s really nice to have a place where you know
everyone and everyone knows you.”
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Employees at Kerckhoff
Coffeehouse may choose their work hours. Kerckhoff Coffeehouse is
among the stores and campus eateries run by the Associated Students
of UCLA. Like most ASUCLA positions, with the exception of
managerial or lab assistant positions, workers have a starting pay
of $6.50 per hour.
With no prior work experience, Yuen like all incoming employees,
was hired not so much on skill, but work ethic.
“I didn’t know how to work a register, but we train
our workers,” she said, “We don’t just throw you
in there.”
After two years as an employee, she now holds the highest
student position available.
Yuen, who began her search her freshman year with a
service-related job in mind, said she found her match at the Human
Resources Center.
Tucked away on the second floor of Kerckhoff, the Human
Resources Center posts ASUCLA positions outside its door and
provides the paperwork necessary to apply for a job. The office
acts as a liaison between the student and each employer to
streamline the process.
Also available through ASUCLA are jobs at The UCLA Store at
Ackerman Union in merchandise and food service.
Higher-paying jobs include lab assistants for computer workshops
and supervisor positions for the more seasoned employee, many of
which are just a click of the mouse away.
“The best thing would be to use our Web site,” said
Career Center Associate Director Albert Aubin.
Students must type in their social security number to access job
listings and internships. To date, more than 200 positions are
available through the center.
Independent stores in Ackerman, like Pulse, the campus copy
house, offer other options for student employment.
Pulse Manager Mike Weber said employers at the shop and student
workers have a mutually beneficial relationship.
“The benefits to us employing students is they know the
campus and they’re available on short notice,” Weber
said. “The benefit to students is the flexibility; they can
work between classes.”
ASUCLA employees are given a consistent schedule for the quarter
which works around their academic schedule, an advantage Yuen said
is uncommon off UCLA grounds. During finals, students may
reschedule if necessary.
But ASUCLA is only one place to look for campus employment.
For some, the quest begins with a Free Application for Federal
Student Aid. Departments at UCLA sponsor work-study programs to aid
eligible students.
Provided all deadlines are met, up to $2,000 may be awarded.
Money received from work-study does not count toward determining
financial need for the following school year, as would an income
form a non-work-study job.
Positions that offer higher starting salary rates include the
Emergency Medical Services and Community Service Officer program,
starting at $8.32 and $8.42 an hour, respectively.
Emergency Medical Technicians are students trained to respond to
emergency calls received by university police and are the first to
respond to a scene. Trainees spend the first weeks undergoing a
series of hypothetical situations and reenactment with other
EMTs.
While many students enter with intents to gain experience in the
medical field, skills gained from interacting with patients carry
over beyond the workplace, said Kirk Burgamy, an EMT who graduated
with a degree in physiological science last spring.
“It’s a great experience,” said Burgamy, who
joined the program in his third year. “If I had known about
it sooner I would have applied sooner.”
Though ambulances racing down the streets of Westwood are a
common sight, many students don’t realize such a position is
open to undergraduate students, he said.
Neighboring the EMTs in the UCPD station are Community Service
Officers, trained as the “eyes and ears” of the police.
CSOs are trained by senior officers in a variety of sessions which
span from campus escorts to residence hall patrols. The program
emphasizes a non-intervention policy, though students attend a
radio class and are equipped and trained to use pepper spray.
For those still caught in the muck of an overabundance of job
choices, the Career Center can help narrow down decisions.
“It’s never too early to use the Career
Center,” Aubin said. “You don’t have to know what
you want to do before you come to us.”
Employees at the center say they often find that students seem
indecisive about a job because they undervalue their previous work
experience.
“One of the things I try to get them to realize is that
all work experience has value,” Aubin said. “It’s
how to translate that to a resume, that’s how we can be
helpful.”