Whether you're heading off to college next fall or still have a couple of years left at home, now's a great time to think about how you could put away some dollars for school. Of course, that probably means a part-time job. Sound boring? Tiring? Like the last thing you'd want to do? Well, get a little motivation from five students who are actually doing something besides babysitting and mowing lawns! Check out what they're up to and see if they don't give you a few ideas for putting your own interests, talents and creativity to work.

Harpist

Kate started playing the harp when she was 4 years old. By the time she was in fifth grade, she was quite a musician. So her mom encouraged her to start playing for hire. Kate agreed, and her first job was a funeral. Sounds pretty dismal, but since then she's played for all kinds of affairs—weddings, private parties and during the summers at an open air French Market.

Kate enjoys her job, too. "It's great to get paid to do something I like," she says. And Kate gets paid really well—$200 an hour, plus tips! She also usually gets free food. There are some downsides, though. "I have to sit for hours," she says, "so my back aches. And sometimes people ask me really dumb questions like, 'Is that a real harp?' or they request songs I don't really want to play, like 'Stairway to Heaven.'" But Kate says the good definitely outweighs the bad. "I get to meet lots of people. And since I do a lot of weddings, I already have mine planned out. Not to mention I'm getting paid to practice the harp."

Pottery Painter

Vicki works at Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own-pottery store. When Vicki gets a new customer, she'll first explain how to paint ceramics. Next, she'll have her customer pick out a piece of pottery and the painting will begin—with Vicki standing by to offer suggestions and guidance.

Vicki likes her job for several reasons. For one, there's a really relaxed atmosphere. Most of the employees are around Vicki's age and are all very laid back, she says. Vicki also has a lot of fun helping the customers with their painting, especially little kids.

"I love seeing them find so much joy in painting," she says.

Vicki started looking for a job because she was tired of babysitting, and she knew she needed to save for college. She found out about the opening at Color Me Mine through her mom, who saw the "Now Hiring" sign while out on her morning walk. While Vicki didn't have any real experience in pottery painting, she was hired and learned her job quickly. Painting pottery has been a good fit for her, too. The only bad thing? "Not too many guys come in to paint!" she says with a shrug.

Caterer

Jason works as a server for a catering company that hosts events all over the Chicago area. As a result, his environment is always changing—one night it might be a casual dinner in someone's home, the next night a formal banquet in a fancy hotel. Either way, Jason has to look sharp—his standard uniform is a tuxedo. And he always has to be on his best behavior—showing the utmost courtesy to those he serves, while also going out of his way to be sociable. Jason heard about the position from one of his friends, as did 15 other guys he knows pretty well. They all applied and got the job. That's what Jason likes best—working with his friends. "It's a lot of fun. It's also pretty good money. I get $12 an hour plus tips, and one job is usually 10 to 12 hours." Another exciting part of Jason's job? He never knows who might show up for dinner. "Nicole Kidman was actually at one of the events," he says. "One of my friends accidentally bumped into her, and another one of my friends served her table!"

Candy & Ice Cream Salesperson

Erin works at Graham's Chocolate, where she scoops ice cream, serves chocolate and slices fudge. She also stocks the shelves, works the register and keeps the store clean. Erin says she took the job because she felt like she had a lot of free time she could use to earn money for spending and college. She happened upon the job at Graham's when she saw the "Coming Soon" sign in the window. "I thought it would be cool to work there with a bunch of my friends, so I applied and was the first employee hired," she says. Two of Erin's good friends ended up getting jobs there, too. But it turns out that what Erin really enjoys is making new friends with her fellow employees. "It's been good for me to see I can have fun with people outside of my normal circle of friends," she says, "and with people who are pretty different from me."

Of course, one of the best parts of the job is the free ice cream and chocolate. Any drawbacks? "When we have slow days, it can be boring," Erin admits. "But overall, it's good work experience and will help pay for some of my college expenses."

Caddy

As a caddy, Ian shows up at the golf course around 7 a.m. on the days he wants to work. You heard right. One of the things he enjoys about his job is the flexible schedule. He only works on the days he wants to. When he does show up at the course, he waits around until the golf pro assigns him to a golfer. But Ian might not even be needed until that afternoon. So he can either leave and come back, or stay and hang out with the other caddies.

He often sticks around and ends up playing a game of softball. No, Ian doesn't get paid for this playtime, But when he actually caddies, the money's pretty good. To carry a golfer's clubs for 18 holes—about four hours—he makes $26 plus tips. "I usually come out with about $50, and when I carry two bags at a time, I make double," he says.

Besides the money, Ian says he has learned some valuable lessons during his four years as a caddy. One of those is that money does not equal happiness.

"I caddy for a lot of rich people and I hear so much about their lives and their money," says Ian, "and it just doesn't seem very fulfilling. It's made me think about my goals and what I want out of life. I don't want to go to college just so I can get a job that makes a lot of money. I want to pursue what God wants for my life because that's where I'll find true satisfaction."

Nicole Zaderaka, 18, helped with this article, and she has a pretty cool job herself. She gives private swimming lessons in her own backyard.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
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