In hindsight, it turned out not to be all that unusual. Anyone who has been around TU/e a bit longer sees it everywhere: students working on campus. In the information team, as a mentor, student assistant, at the IT desk, in the library, or behind the reception desk. To some extent, the university runs on students who work on campus alongside their studies.

What stands out is how well this actually fits. Working hours are flexible, exam weeks are taken into account, and everyone understands that your studies come first. These are not side jobs you have to squeeze in somehow, but jobs that move along with your week and your rhythm.

You notice that in small things as well. If something is wrong with your laptop, chances are that at the IT desk you will be facing a familiar face: a fellow student who knows how things work. That makes the interaction easy and comfortable.

By now, I have been able to pass my position on to a new student. And it all happens quite naturally: one person steps out, another steps in, and that is how the system keeps running. Maybe we have come to see that as normal. The classic image of a student job is still in hospitality, but in the meantime, at TU/e you can also work in a way that fits your studies.

It is not a big policy story. But at a time when studying is becoming more expensive and pressure is increasing, it is quite special that you can also work at the place where you study. Sometimes the strength of a university does not lie in grand plans, but in things that are simply well organized.

Wob Knaap is a Data Science student at TU/e. The views expressed in this column are his own.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.