The number of jobs in Atchi­son has decreased by 61% since July 2007, according to simply­hired.com, an online job search engine. In addition, Atchison has an unemployment rate of 7.9% compared the national average of 5.8%.

With the economy the way it is, it’s no wonder why seniors are scrambling to figure out plans post-graduation. And it’s easy to see why those who have jobs in town feel fortunate.

Anna Wills, Jessie Schiffer, and Joe Humphrey, sophomores, all found jobs on campus work­ing for Intramurals. During the basketball intramurals, Wills and Schiffer kept score and time. Humphrey refereed.

Schiffer said she is glad to have a job and considers herself lucky considering the state of the economy. Wills feels fortunate as well. By having a job, she is able to begin to pay off some of her student loans.

However, this late in the se­mester, it is practically impos­sible to find a job. And even those who began the on-campus job search in January had a hard time.

Lucas Miller, sophomore, who studied abroad last semester, wanted a job to make some extra money because he, too, is wor­ried about the economy. He had no such luck and found that the on campus jobs he looked into were already full.

So how does one find a job on campus and keep it? Schiffer, and Humphrey all turned the job fair their freshmen year.  They applied to work at intramural games and they have ever since.

Wills followed her roommate’s lead and applied the second se­mester of her freshman year.

Rachel Toner, freshman works in Career Development with Becky Gilmore.

Her job consists of typing in job and internship opportunities on the website as well as helping out with various events. Recent­ly, she helped with the Career Fair that was held in the Student Union.

Toner had applied for a work­study job in the fall and received a call from Gilmore because she noticed Toner never got a job.

“I’m fortunate to have a job at all,” Toner said.

She works three to four days a week to pay off loans and saving up to study abroad.

Amanda Segebart, junior, took a different approach. She is a waitress at Iron Horse BBQ, a restaurant in Atchison that opened up in February because she needed extra spending mon­ey.

She said that working off cam­pus is better than working on campus because of better pay.
Segebart hasn’t had a job dur­ing her college career until now. “It’s nice not to have to borrow from my parents anymore,” she said.

For whatever reason, whether loans, groceries, or extra spend­ing money, students are con­stantly seeking ways to make a little extra cash.

For those who are graduating, the job search continues. And for those who are coming back to BC, if interested in a job for the fall, be sure to start the search early and attend next semester’s Career Fair.

In addition, students can al­ways find help online if the job search becomes a dead end.

A blog on MSN.com lists more than 50 ways to make money. These include everything from the number 20 idea, sell bottled water (buy it bulk and sell it for a dollar a piece where there are a lot of people) as well as num­bers 41 and 42, sell your stuff on Craigslist or EBay.

For more tips, visit http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending.