After the outbreak of the whole-nation resistance war against Japanese aggression, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University were forced to relocate and formed the Southwest Associated University in Kunming. Faced with life hardships and pressures, as well as inadequate relief from various sources, the students of the Associated University had no choice but to engage in a series of social "part-time jobs" to sustain their livelihood and academic pursuits. These "part-time jobs" were a crucial part of the daily lives of the students, and could provide a glimpse into the living conditions of tens of thousands of impoverished students in the rear areas during the whole-nation resistance war. By sorting and analyzing materials such as the university's historical records, alumni memoirs, and diaries of contemporaries, this study delves into the types and impacts of the selfhelp "part-time jobs" undertaken by the students of the Southwest Associated University, thereby contributing to the research on the Southwest Associated University.