Illinois Institute of Technology · Career Services
On-Campus
Get paid, get involved, and get out into the city — starting a few steps from class.
Pick a lane below. Apply for a campus job on Handshake, find events and student organizations on 312, and when you are ready to leave the block, work through the Chicago lists further down — hundreds of free cultural sites and vetted volunteer organizations, sorted so you can choose one and go.
Earn
Land an On-Campus Job
Every university job is posted and applied for through Handshake. Campus work pays, fits around your class schedule, and gives you a supervisor who will write you a reference later.
Look for roles in:
Research and lab support · Library and IT help desks · Tutoring and peer mentoring · Residence life · Athletics and recreation · Admissions tours and events · Department and administrative offices · Career Services student staff
Belong
Find Your People on 312
312 is where campus life is organized. Join something in your first weeks rather than your last year — it is the fastest route to a network, and student leadership reads well on a resume.
Use it to:
Browse campus events · Join a student organization · Find residence life information · Track your Elevate checklist · Book your Elevate Success Coach · Sign up for competitions and design teams
Also worth doing: Campus events on 312 · Book a career coach · Career fairs and employer events · Elevate experiences · Competitions and student organizations
Beyond Campus
Chicago Is Your Campus Too
Below are two working lists: places to go and organizations to serve with. Most of the cultural sites are free, several are free specifically because you hold an Illinois Tech ID, and every volunteer organization has been checked for a real application process. Pick one thing. Put it on your calendar. Go.
These are recommendations, not university activities or placements. Confirm hours, admission, and requirements with each organization before you go.
Sections 1 through 6 are places to go. Sections 7 through 13 are organizations to serve with. Open only what you need.
1Free Museums & Cultural Anchors
Free all year — including two you get into free because of who you are▾
Use Your Illinois Tech ID
The Art Institute of Chicago is free to you. Illinois Tech is a University Partner, which means students get free general and special exhibition admission — just show a valid student ID at the ticket counter. Not once. Any time you want to go. See the museum’s free admission page →
New This Year · Four Miles South of Campus
The Obama Presidential Center opened June 19, 2026 in Jackson Park. The grounds, the observation deck, and the Chicago Public Library branch on site are free and open to the public with no ticket at all — go on a Saturday and walk the campus for nothing.
The museum needs a timed ticket, but Illinois residents get in free every Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Accepted proof includes an Illinois driver’s license or state ID, a Chicago CityKey, or — paired with a valid photo ID — an Illinois lease, library card, or student ID. Reserve the Tuesday slot online first; capacity is the same as any other day and it fills. Veterans, active-duty military, and Chicago first responders receive one free ticket with valid ID. Illinois Free Days → · All ticket discounts →
Getting there: CTA bus 6, 10, 15, or 28, or Metra Electric to 59th or 63rd Street.
Chicago Cultural Center — free; the world’s largest Tiffany dome, in the Loop
National Museum of Mexican Art — free; Pilsen, best at Día de los Muertos
Nat’l Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture — free; Humboldt Park
Smart Museum of Art — free; UChicago, Hyde Park
Museum of Contemporary Photography — free; ask for the print-viewing drawers
ISAC Museum — Assyrian lamassu and King Tut; donation
Intuit Art Museum — the Henry Darger Room
Stony Island Arts Bank — Theaster Gates; Thursday to Sunday
Newberry Library — free; get a reader’s card
Hyde Park Art Center — free; emerging Midwest artists
Design Museum of Chicago — free; a 30-minute Loop stop
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum — free; UIC, take the guided tour
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art — free; Ukrainian Village
Chicago Public Library — free; Museum Passport and digital archives
Free Museum Days list — check this before you buy any ticket
2Architecture, Tours & Public Art
Walk the city and read it — most of this costs nothing▾
Open House Chicago — free; every October, 150+ normally closed buildings open. Best weekend of the year
Chicago Greeter — free; a local leads a custom walk. Book about ten days out
Chicago Architecture Center — walking, audio, and river cruise tours
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust — Oak Park and Robie House; start with the Home & Studio tour
Chicago Mural Registry — free; build your own route from the registry map
Artwork & Monuments — free; nearly 300 fountains, sculptures, and monuments across the park system, searchable by type and location
3Black Heritage & Global Chicago
Bronzeville is a fifteen-minute walk from campus. Start there▾
Obama Presidential Center — Jackson Park; grounds and observation deck always free, museum free Tuesdays for Illinois residents
DuSable Black History Museum — the nation’s first; Washington Park
South Side Community Art Center — free; the only surviving WPA Black art center
Bronzeville walking tour — free and self-guided; start at the Victory Monument, 35th and King
Bronzeville Historical Society — Great Migration genealogy; by appointment
Chicago Cultural Alliance — an index of 40+ heritage museums and centers
Illinois Holocaust Museum — Skokie; survivor holograms
4Music, Stage, Screen & Page
Jazz, blues, folk, half-price theater, and a free poetry library▾
Green Mill — Capone’s booth and the Sunday Poetry Slam
Buddy Guy’s Legends — nightly blues; the January residency sells out months ahead
Old Town School of Folk Music — take a drop-in class, then stay for a concert
Jazz Institute of Chicago — programs the free Chicago Jazz Festival, Labor Day weekend
Chicago Jazz Philharmonic — Orbert Davis’s symphonic jazz
Hot Tix — half-price day-of theater tickets
Music Box Theatre — a 1929 palace with a live organ; see the series and festivals
Poetry Foundation — free; open-shelf library plus readings and events
5Parks, Trails, Suburbs & Road Trips
Get out of the Loop — several of these need no car at all▾
Night Out in the Parks — free; hundreds of summer events across all 77 community areas
The 606 / Bloomingdale Trail — free; a 2.7-mile elevated rail park. Bike it at golden hour
Garfield Park Conservatory — free for Chicago residents with ID; tropical and warm in February. Time a visit to a seasonal flower show
Pullman National Historical Park — free; Chicago’s first National Park Service site
Bahá’í House of Worship — free; Wilmette. Go late afternoon
Indiana Dunes National Park — beach and dune climbs via the South Shore Line; no car needed
Morton Arboretum — Lisle; 1,700 acres and a free Plant Clinic
Evanston History Center — Dawes House and Grosse Point Lighthouse
Metra stations, lines & schedules — plan a car-free day trip down any line
Illinois road trips & scenic drives — free itineraries; Route 66, the Great River Road, seven scenic byways
6What Is On This Week
Bookmark these five and you will never be bored on a Saturday▾
DCASE — free; the city’s official festival and concert calendar. Blues, Gospel, House Music, all free in Millennium Park
Block Club Chicago — block-level neighborhood reporting
South Side Weekly — free; South Side arts criticism and calendars
Time Out Chicago — comprehensive weekly listings
Secret Chicago — pop-ups and one-offs; verify details before you travel
Run This Screen Before Your First Shift — Every Time
1. Verify the organization exists on paper. Confirm it in the Illinois Attorney General’s charity database and check its finances on Charity Navigator. Two minutes, before you go.
2. Expect to be screened. Any reputable organization serving children, patients, or vulnerable adults requires a background check, an orientation, and a named staff supervisor. An organization that waves you straight in is the red flag, not the convenient one.
3. Never one-on-one and unsupervised with a minor or a vulnerable adult, in any setting, including transportation. Legitimate programs are designed to make this impossible. If a placement asks you to, leave and report it.
4. Know the address, the route, and the hours before you leave. Go with a classmate when you can, travel in daylight, confirm the transit line, and tell someone where you will be and when you will be back.
5. Never pay to volunteer. Never give bank details, a Social Security number, or photos of your ID to a volunteer posting. Legitimate organizations collect screening information through their own secure system after you apply — not by text or DM.
6. You are always allowed to leave. If the supervision is not what was described, if you are asked to work outside your training, or if a situation feels unsafe — stop, leave, and report it to the organization and to your campus contact. No service hours are worth your safety.
7Start Volunteering: Campus & Citywide Hubs
Begin here if you do not know where to begin▾
Illinois Tech Office of Community Affairs — your first stop: Bronzeville partnerships, IPRO Labs, SoReMo, and the student-led Change@IIT organization
Chicago Cares — one-day group projects citywide; free account, roughly three-hour shifts. The lowest-commitment way to start
Serve Illinois — the state commission’s portal; search by cause and ZIP
Idealist — absorbed VolunteerMatch in 2025; the largest listing database
Points of Light Engage — search one-off events by interest and date
United Way of Metro Chicago — Days of Action and kit-packing projects
AmeriCorps listings — paid; filter by Illinois for stipended service terms
Vet it yourself — free tools:
Illinois AG Charity Search · Charity Navigator · Candid / GuideStar · BBB Wise Giving Alliance
8Food, Housing & Basic Needs
Pantries, farms, shelters — the shortest path from signing up to doing something▾
Food Security & Urban Agriculture
Greater Chicago Food Depository — 16+; register ahead, no walk-ins
Northern Illinois Food Bank — sort and pack; ages 8+ with an adult
Nourishing Hope — formerly Lakeview Pantry; online orientation first
Common Pantry — 14+; stock shelves and bag groceries, N. Lincoln Ave
Care for Real — 15+; Edgewater and Rogers Park, orientation first
Growing Home — Englewood organic farm; plant, weed, harvest
Urban Growers Collective — South Chicago farm; registration and waiver
Feed My Starving Children — meal packing; Aurora and Schaumburg
Cradles to Crayons — sort and pack essentials for kids
Housing, Shelter & Outreach
Habitat for Humanity Chicago — build days; no experience needed
Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness — advocacy and policy work
The Night Ministry — street outreach and meal service; email the coordinator
Franciscan Outreach — shelter meal service
Inspiration Corporation — food service and employment training
A Safe Haven — meals, pantry, campus cleanup; W. Roosevelt Rd
Cornerstone Community Outreach — screening; background check plus training, Uptown
Breakthrough Urban Ministries — screening; East Garfield Park meals, mentoring, fresh market
Deborah’s Place — screening; women exiting homelessness, monthly orientation
Sarah’s Circle — 18+; women’s shelter, application and in-person orientation
Hesed House — Aurora’s PADS shelter; meal prep and site repairs
9Youth Mentoring, Tutoring & Education
Apply early — screening for these takes weeks, sometimes months▾
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago — screening; one-year match, twice monthly. Fingerprinting and DCFS check
Tutoring Chicago — screening; 90 minutes a week, September to May. Training required
Working in the Schools (WITS) — screening; CPS literacy mentoring, one-hour orientation
Chicago HOPES for Kids — screening; tutor children living in shelters
Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago — 18+, screening; 1 to 2 hours a week for 4 to 6 months
Girls in the Game — screening; after-school coach, 10-week season
Chicago Scholars — college essay labs; apply through the volunteer portal
One Million Degrees — screening; coach community-college scholars, degree required
Chicago Public Schools Volunteer Program — screening; background check, TB test, annual reapproval
Metropolitan Family Services — wraparound family programs
Literacy Chicago — adult literacy tutoring
Bernie’s Book Bank — sort and prepare books for kids
Storycatchers Theatre — arts with justice-involved youth
After School Matters — teen program support
10Health, Disability & Aging
Strong fit for pre-health students — expect health clearances and longer commitments▾
CommunityHealth — the nation’s largest free clinic; bilingual interpreters in demand
Erie Family Health Centers — community health centers; AmeriCorps roles too
Howard Brown Health — screening; LGBTQ+ health, HIPAA training and DCFS screening
Ronald McDonald House Chicagoland — 18+, screening; two shifts monthly for one year
Lurie Children’s Hospital — 18+, screening; 6 to 12 months, health clearance
Rush University Medical Center — 17+, screening; 4 hours weekly for six months
CDPH Medical Reserve Corps — 18+, screening; register on IllinoisHelps for public health surge support
Misericordia — screening; 2 to 3 hours a week for 6 to 12 months, references required
Access Living — disability rights advocacy; contact staff directly
Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly — screening; visit isolated seniors, flexible hours
Special Olympics Illinois — event help from age 10; Class A screening at 14+
Best Buddies Illinois — one-to-one friendship; weekly contact, campus chapters
Meals on Wheels Chicago — senior center meals, food pantry, events
11Environment & Conservation
Outdoor workdays, mostly drop-in, mostly all ages▾
Forest Preserves of Cook County — 13+; stewardship workdays, litter cleanups all ages
Openlands TreeKeepers — screening; month-long certification, then plant and prune citywide
Friends of the Chicago River — cleanups, plantings, wildlife monitoring, Chicago River Day
Alliance for the Great Lakes — Adopt-a-Beach cleanups; you collect real litter data
Friends of the Parks — citywide Earth Day park cleanups
Shedd Aquarium Action Days — all ages, free; registration and waiver
Chicago Park District — 17+ solo; under 17 needs a signed form and waiver
The Morton Arboretum — youth program grades 7–9+; selection each April
Chicago Botanic Garden — 16+, screening; note that onboarding is paused until 2027
Faith in Place — form a Green Team of three or more; free project coaching
12Immigration, Legal & Civic Engagement
Two of these pay — and both look excellent on a law or policy resume▾
Immigrant, Refugee & Legal Services
RefugeeOne — 18+, screening; resettlement mentoring, tutoring, apartment setup
World Relief Chicagoland — tutoring, friendship partners, Good Neighbor Teams
Heartland Human Care Services — screening; mentoring and tutoring
Erie Neighborhood House — tutor grades 5–12 and adult ESL; training provided
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services — non-attorneys assist at clinics and interpret
Legal Aid Chicago — application plus role training; mostly professional roles
National Immigrant Justice Center — pro bono attorney track; law students inquire directly
Civic Engagement & Democracy
Chicago Documenters (City Bureau) — paid; get paid to cover public meetings after orientation
Chicago Board of Elections — paid; student election judge, 3.0 GPA, training, $170+
Chicago Votes — youth-led; free training, then tabling and voter registration
League of Women Voters of Chicago — voter registration and election protection
13Animals, Emergency Response & Service Years
Including six paid, full-time options for after you graduate▾
Animals & Emergency Response
The Anti-Cruelty Society — Teens Who Care ages 13–17; separate adult program
PAWS Chicago — 18+; juniors 12–17 must serve alongside a guardian
American Red Cross of Illinois — screening; Disaster Action Team and blood drive support
Chicago CERT — free 30-hour disaster response training, four times a year
A Service Year After Graduation
City Year Chicago — paid; ages 17–25, full school year tutoring, stipend plus education award
Public Allies Chicago — paid; 10-month AmeriCorps apprenticeship, 17+ with HS diploma
AmeriCorps VISTA — paid; one-year anti-poverty capacity building, 18+
Amate House — a Chicago year of service; priority deadline mid-December
Jesuit Volunteer Corps — ages 21–25; one-year placement, Chicago community active
Teach For America Chicago — paid; two-year salaried teaching placement
Pick One and Go
This week: take one Chicago Cares one-day project, or walk into the Cultural Center. Low commitment, real work, no screening.
This semester: commit to weekly tutoring through Tutoring Chicago or WITS. Apply early — screening takes weeks.
Get paid for it: Documenters, student election judge, or an AmeriCorps term.
Turn It Into Experience
Campus jobs, volunteer terms, and city projects all belong on a resume. A coach will show you how to write them.
careerservices@illinoistech.edu · 312.567.6800 · MTCC Room 106 · Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cultural and service listings adapted from the Chicago Cultural Immersion and Chicago Service Learning field guides. Recommendations only — not university activities or placements. Links verified by Career Services, August 2026.
