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We all want that perfect job. That dream mix of atmosphere responsibilities and pay. It’s a recipe for success and happiness. Hectic schedules due very little to help this notion and could end up leaving you with very little options. “Perfect jobs” is a series of articles that will help you get an idea of what jobs are best suited for you and your chaotic schedule.

With V1 I thought where better to start with this new series than with my own field. Technology. Tech is an ever-growing field and is surprisingly versatile. Now, you won’t get to the heavy hitting jobs until you reach a BS or have stacks of certifications but options exist to fit nice and snug into you’re messy or jam packed schedule. From hospitals to schools to tech dedicated companies, everywhere has jobs in the field of tech. With this massive collection of places to work the shifts vary, making a job a tech extremely accommodating for a college professional.

IT Help Desk:

The help desk is a great place to get off the bench and on to the tech field.  It’ll be the position most people will tell you they started with because of its extreme flexibility. Help desk positions can require a decent amount of experience and maybe even a degree but I’ve seen listings for junior positions and even senior positions that only require minimum experience. The great thing about this job, like every job in IT basically, is that you can work anywhere. Hospitals are a great place to look into applying to because they have shifts 24/7. A potential downside is this job often comes with weekend work though.  The national average for Help Desk positions is 38k according to glassdoor.com

Jr. IT Analyst:

A very broad term meaning different things to different companies. Being an IT analyst comes with a variety of responsibilities that could differ company to company. “Performs related duties as assigned.” Is a sentence you’ll see often under the job description. You do it all. Usually IT analysts help implement hardware, test and rollout system/application software and monitor systems, among other tasks. You might see under qualifications that this requires a degree but often times professional experience and internships will suffice for the junior role. Jr analyst can make anywhere from 50k to up to 70k in New York according to glassdoor.com These jobs are usually 9-5 but sometimes could have an afternoon shift of 12-8 making it ideal for early birds.

Microsoft or Apple Store:

You may think working at either of these stores is more of a retail than a tech job. Both the Microsoft and Apple store offer positions outside of the sales floor that require a surprising amount of troubleshooting and technical skill. The ability to troubleshoot and solve software and hardware issues is a must for these positions. These jobs often pay more than the sales floor and will look better on a resume as well. Since this is indeed the retail industry the hours you work can be switched and changed depending on your school schedule. This is another great place to start out since qualifications will vary but will not come in the form of a degree or certification. Service advisors at Microsoft make $18/hr according to glassdoor.com. This may not be your ideal view when you first think of breaking into your field but it checks all the boxes for a technology oriented college student. It’s a bonus that the Microsoft/Apple problems you encounter may help you in your further support oriented jobs.

Junior Programmer:

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe programming isn’t really your strong suit. Maybe you’d rather do literally anything else other than program. If you’re not like me, you may be extremely capable at web programming or application programming. These skills are invaluable in the world of technology and with them you can land a job almost anywhere at the snap of your fingers. Better yet, with entry level programming positions really all that is required knowledge and experience in the required language. This is great for early college students who may not have their two-year degree yet. I’ve even heard stories that many jobs that list the necessity of a degree will waive that if the skillset and experience is there so apply apply apply. Salary usually coincides with experience but entry level programmers make an average of $51k via glassdoor.com If you have the skills I highly recommend starting out with a programming job which will open up your future opportunities immensely.

Being a college professional is never easy. It can be taxing brutal and downright stressful. Finding time for a job in your field can be a taunting task. Luckily jobs in technology are versatile and plentiful. You may not land that trifecta of money responsibilities and atmosphere until after college but you should have plenty of opportunities in this field to bring some balance to your hectic schedule. Happy hunting my friends.

Finding the job is only half the battle, learn how to ace a phone interview here.