During my freshman year at Tulane, all I wanted was to immerse myself into the community and experience all that NOLA has to offer. After countless restaurants, rooftop bars and shopping sprees, I realized that the only way to keep up this lifestyle was to get a job. Little did I know that getting a job would bring me so much more than some extra cash. It would provide me with closer connections, valuable work experience and an even stronger love for this city.
What’s Your Job In NOLA?
While I was doing some research about job opportunities here, I came into contact with students who have some unique and incredible jobs. Work doesn’t have to be so bad after all!
Senior Communications major, Emily Godsick, works as a Campus Marketing Representative for NBC and Universal Pictures. Chances are you have probably seen her on McAlister promoting her events or giving out (free!!) merch. As a Campus Marketing Representative, she puts on promotional events on either Tulane’s campus or around NOLA, ranging from the series premiere of The Voice at Bruno’s with “The Red Chair” drink, to a party bus filled with Halloween costumes outside The Boot to promote Happy Death Day. She landed this amazing opportunity through a past internship for NBC, and thinks that it has only made her feel like more of an active NOLA resident. She has to take the time and “go out and find cool locations to hold our events or premieres at,” which has given her even more of a chance to explore and love this city. Check out her free screening of Truth or Dare on Monday, April 9th!
Arden Kelley, a junior at Tulane, teaches at Tour Cycle Studio, an indoor cycling studio on Tchoupitoulas. She has been teaching spin classes ever since high school and found TOUR soon after coming to New Orleans. Working in NOLA has been completely different than teaching classes while she was still in high school because it is the “only city you can hear someone say that they came to work out so they can go eat beignets later, or hear someone excited about purchasing leggings with snowballs on them.”
Jordana Cohen, a former social media intern at Fat Boy Pantry on Magazine Street, thought that working in NOLA showed her how much location impacts a work environment. Specifically for Jordana, she had to make sure that the social media posts that she was creating for Fat Boy catered the types of food that would be successful here in NOLA. Coming from New York, she is used to fairly fast-paced and intense environments, but in NOLA she noticed that her work had more of a relaxed and easy going pace. She feels as though “people really [cared] about each other and what the customer wants”.
Aaron has had the incredible opportunity of working as an intern and Set Production Assistant for NCIS New Orleans, where he does “generic intern duties,” but also gets to go to set locations and work with the cast and crew. He got this job through Dr. Mary Blue, the head of the Digital Media Production Department at Tulane and has been working there for a little more than half a year now. Besides being a priceless opportunity to take a step into the production industry, this job has also taught Aaron “so much about New Orleans, both physically and culturally.” Because the majority of the crew members are local, he has heard all about the city from their perspective. Aaron emphasized how much the local crew have helped him “feel at home, and [encouraged him] to become a New Orleans local.”
Here are some helpful tips to help you land a job in NOLA just like these students:
- Before you start looking at any job applications, first decide if you want to be on or off campus.
- If you are thinking about off-campus jobs, next decide if you need it to be within walking distance. Last year, I ended up spending more money on Ubers to my job on Magazine Street than my paycheck!
- Don’t overwork yourself. Don’t get too blindsided by the money and remember that your school schedule does come first.
- Check Tulane Classifieds- That is probably one of the biggest pieces of advice that I have. Both of the off-campus jobs that I have had in the past year and a half from been from Tulane Classifieds on Facebook.
- Ask Around- Tulane students are incredibly involved with this city, so chances are you know someone who knows someone who is hiring.
COVER PHOTO: Sabrina Kogut
