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Alexia: Hi! I’m Alexia Bailey, a sophomore here at CU Boulder. While I may just be in my second year, I’m here to share everything I’ve picked up so far, which is a surprising amount of information. “What’s Eating at Alexia” is my unofficial and unfiltered guide to some of the things that being a CU Boulder Buff brings. Think of it as your guide to navigating everything that makes CU Boulder, well, CU Boulder. Whether you’re a freshman finding your footing or a senior with “no body, no crime” level grievances about finals week, I’m here to share my takes, tips and honest observations on everything from the sometimes-unpredictable Buff Bus system to navigating campus protests (or dodging them entirely). College is a wild, unforgettable ride, and “What’s eating at Alexia” is here to make sense of some of it, one opinion at a time.
Somewhere in the haze of late-night parties, watching the University of Colorado Boulder football team lose to Brigham Young University (again), and not going to class because you’re convinced that you ‘already know the material,’ a lot of CU students begin to realize that Boulder, to be frank, is quite expensive. And, well, Daddy won’t pay for the $9 matchas that much longer.
So, dearest readers, you’re looking for a job.
Now, I’m not claiming to be Boulder’s career guru, but after sending out more applications than I care to admit and surviving one of the most toxic jobs of my life this past summer, I’ve learned a thing or two about what it actually takes to land, and keep, a job. You see, my first piece of advice is to start small. Check CU Boulder’s student employment listings on Handshake, local coffee shops, and retail stores—the ones you walk past every day and think, “I could never work there,” because desperate times mean desperate measures. You’d also be surprised how often networking lands you the best opportunities. Your Resident Advisor, professors and friends often know about openings before they even hit the website, so don’t underestimate the power of asking around.
You’ll soon notice that in order to apply for these jobs, you’ll need a pretty important piece of paper called a resume. A resume is basically all of your personality and experience on one page, only slightly more professional. CU has a ton of resources to help you craft it. CU Boulder Career Services offers free resume reviews, workshops, and one-on-one advising that can really help your resume look professional and put-together but still be you. Even if you think your experience is minimal, don’t worry. Volunteering, club leadership, campus projects, and yes, even that time you organized your roommate’s birthday party count as some type of experience.
Hopefully, once you submit your resume, you’ll soon hear back about scheduling an interview. The important thing to note here is that interviewing is basically storytelling. Show up on time, dress like you care (even if you stayed up binge-watching Brooklyn 99 last night), and have a couple of anecdotes ready. Talking about how you handled a tricky situation at work, in class or even during a club meeting is way more effective than vaguely claiming, “I’m great at stuff.” Smile, breathe, and pretend you’re not sweating over every tiny question. Confidence is contagious, and the interviewer will notice. Once you’ve nailed the interview, don’t skip the follow-up. Sending a brief thank-you within 24 hours shows you’re genuinely interested and professional. If you don’t hear back within a week, it’s fine to check in once more; persistence truly pays, but remember there’s a fine line between being persistent and being annoying.
Once you’re hired after a few dozen interviews with a million different places and that first paycheck finally hits your bank account, congratulations, you survived! Now, a little secret about surviving the first few weeks on the job is to know that everyone else is winging it, too. The person who seems like they’ve done this forever? They’re probably still figuring out how the coffee machine works. So make friends, ask questions, and maybe sneak a few tips from the veteran employees. You’ll learn faster than you think, and you might even have fun. Yes, fun. At a job. It’s 2025, people.
My last piece of advice about working is a bit of a solemn one. Sometimes, despite your sparkling resume, confident interview, and best intentions, you’ll end up in a workplace that feels…off. Maybe your harsh manager micromanages every move, or coworkers gossip more than they actually work. Maybe the criticism outweighs the support you’re getting. A toxic workplace can make even a well-paying, fun-sounding job feel unbearable. And yes, it’s okay to recognize it. It doesn’t mean you failed. The key is to survive and strategize. Keep notes of tasks, deadlines, and interactions that feel problematic; your future self will thank you. Seek allies among colleagues who get it. And most importantly, don’t let a bad environment convince you that this is the standard or that you deserve it. CU teaches resilience, but it also teaches boundaries. If the toxicity outweighs the paycheck or learning experience, it’s perfectly valid to start looking elsewhere. Sometimes quitting isn’t giving up; it’s smart adulting. No job should send you to therapy. Trust me, I’ve been there. As someone who went from a job that made them lose sleep to my current job that makes me feel like I’m serving the community as a whole, I want you to remember that this article isn’t just about paying rent or matchas. Working, even a little, teaches you something no lecture ever will: how to navigate people, deadlines, awkward situations, and yes, even that weird coworker who insists on debating conspiracy theories at 9 a.m. Those are the skills that don’t fit on a syllabus but will fit nicely on your resume someday.
So go forth, dear readers, armed with your polished resume, your stories, and a slightly anxious but determined heart. You might not love every shift, you might spill Coca-Cola on the company car, or you might call your mom crying about the chaos, but at the end of the day, you’re learning, surviving, and maybe even thriving. And who knows? You might even start to like adulting a little…or at least enough to keep affording that $9 matcha.
Contact CU Independent Opinion Editor Alexia Bailey at alexia.bailey@colorado.edu
