As a student, it can be difficult to manage the workload of classes, jobs, and maintaining a social life. I have found that Campus Recreation is a great outlet for balancing an active, yet academic lifestyle. Financial well being is an essential component of Campus Recreation. Our team focuses on providing students with the opportunities to be able to manage finances and plan for the future. Promoting financial well being, Campus Recreation offers students a variety of on-campus jobs. Being a college student can become expensive pretty quickly. I find that becoming involved with on campus jobs early in the school year has allowed me to help balance my lifestyle financially, while allowing for opportunities to become more involved in the URI community. While we are still far out from the fall semester, it is a good idea to explore job opportunities on campus. Campus Recreation has numerous programs and positions to fill, each with unique responsibilities and learning opportunities.
My sophomore year, I was spending so much money on textbooks, food, gas, coffee, clothes, you name it. I decided it was time to start applying for some jobs over winter break. I found this search to be much easier than I had anticipated. With Handshake, I discovered the variety of on-campus jobs solely under Campus Recreation! There were positions to be filled in the student gyms, intramural positions, aquatic jobs, marketing jobs, areas in club sports, and more.
I decided to become an intramural basketball referee on a whim. I figured it would be a fun way to get involved and make some money. After attending an informational meeting, which followed a few rounds of training, I was hired. Quickly, I was immersed within a community that supported each other. Intramural Sports Program Director, Sean Butler, cared about each of our successes as officials and provided numerous opportunities for us to explore more job opportunities within refereeing. Becoming a referee is just one of the many routes within intramural that provide jobs to students. Other jobs include being game managers, supervisors, and managers.
Why On-Campus Jobs?
Once the Intramural season ended, I decided to seek out other job opportunities within Campus Recreation. Having already worked for Campus Recreation’s Intramural program, I knew that Campus Rec was incredibly receptive to student’s schedules, ensuring that student employment is attainable as possible. With this, I knew I wanted to continue working for Campus Rec. After searching through Handshake, I found that the Marketing Team was hiring a Blog and Copywriter. Once I had interviewed and been hired for this position, I met team members, familiarized myself with new skills, and became more integrated within the Campus Rec community.
John Almy, another writer on the team, is a journalism major and loves being a part of the sports community. He explains that Campus Recreation has given him unique opportunities that align with his career goals, relaying, “My communication skills have improved, I think this job has definitely helped me come out of my shell.” Delving into his experience with writing blogs, John tells me he has learned how to conduct interviews and has become familiar with the nature of reporting. With a focus on the intramural and club sport programs, John has been able to continue to be involved with the sports community here at URI, allowing him to combine what he loves with his career goals.
In my experience, on-campus jobs are perhaps the most efficient way for college students to make money while acquiring skills that align with their career goals. Campus Recreation promotes financial well being specifically for students, creating job environments that allow students to work while at the same time, manage academics and a social life. Holding a job role while being a full-time student can prove overwhelming. However, on-campus positions, especially through Campus Recreation, recognize these difficulties and tailor hours to the needs of students to help balance work, and school life.
Another benefit of having an on-campus job is being able to learn unique skills and become immersed in a new environment. As John mentioned, his blog writer position has allowed him to become familiar with the nature of interviews and journalism. This allows for community building, along with the acquisition of important life skills such as balancing work and other responsibilities.
Work Hard, Play Hard
There are many opportunities for students to get involved in URI’s intramural and club sports programs! Game Managers, Program Assistants, and Home Events Supervisors are all positions that need to be filled for the success of our Club Sports program. Along with refereeing, intramural sports hire game managers and supervisors. Explore these job opportunities here!
Straying from sports, Tootell Aquatic Center has plenty of job opportunities for our students. Not only does the center need lifeguards, but birthday party supervisors and facilitators, swimming instructors, learn-to-swim supervisors, office assistants, water safety instructors and more! Check out the many job opportunities at the aquatic center with this link.
Group exercise instructors also have fun roles on our campus! With GEM’s (Group Exercise Mentors) along with TTT (Train the Trainer Programs), there are multiple routes to becoming involved within the fitness and wellness programs of Campus Recreation. Leading group exercise classes is such a unique and rewarding job to have. There are few opportunities to take on this position after college. If you are a fitness guru, be sure to check out the program and steps required to become a group exercise instructor here! The employment opportunities within Campus Recreation offer a variety of routes, abilities, and interests. Whether you’re interested in lifeguarding, teaching fitness classes, refereeing or contributing to the Campus Rec marketing team, there are opportunities for each student to be successful in their financial well being. Be sure to explore the many roles within Campus Recreation this summer!
By Erin Mullaney
Major: Political Science
Graduating May 2026