Well this article lists 200 jobs in 2011 that you can get and ranks them by several criteria including the workplace environment, stress level, the physical demands, approximate income, and the hiring outlook for each kind of job in the future. You will notice that most of the jobs that are toward the top of the list will require some sort of education after high school. The further down the list you go you will find that the jobs decrease in pay and they also decrease in qualifications and education required.

There are lots of good job ideas on that list and for anyone that is 18 years old it should be a real eye opener that they need to get more education. Yes, you can go out and get a bartender job, cashier job, or a guard job but what type of future will that leave you with? I think it is clear that at some point you will need to get additional training for a real career or go to school to get a college degree or a technical degree.

First of all, if you are living on a college campus or in a college town, that means that everyone else looking for a job is most likely also in college. Your competition for jobs has just gone up because of this.

As you might be figuring out, students who have made it to college are smart and many of them were the top students in their high schools. Additionally, a higher percentage of them probably have job experience as well and they will be your competition for the jobs that are available in your college town. The more job experience your fellow students have means that you will have to try harder and interview better than you might have just a year ago when you were back in high school.

There are different kinds of jobs that are suited for college students and different levels of pay as well. Some students try to find a job where they might be able to study while they are working. A job in the library might be one of these or a retail establishment where they can study during slow times. Any job like this though, will probably not pay much more than minimum wage as the requirements may not be that high. In college I worked at a golf driving range and during the winter it was dead. I could go to work every shift and count on being able to study most of the time and get paid for it!

Other students who need more money or have higher aspirations might seek out a job that is more challenging. This type of job might involve working in an office for a company that does what they are majoring in. Students who are majoring in engineering, architecture, law, teaching or any other specific field might try to get a college job in one of those fields. This will help them greatly when they graduate and already have job experience in their chosen field.

Jobs for 18 year olds whether they are in high school or in college have been hard to find for some time now. College students who can’t find work are going to have trouble paying their bills and staying in school. It is a real concern for many and taking out school loans or dropping out may be the only alternatives if a job can’t be found. Going to a university should be a fun time in life when you make friends, learn how to socialize, and of course study hard. Unfortunately, many college students are now faced with the harsh reality that they may not be able to pay for college and their futures seem very uncertain.