Anyone here work in higher ed on the staff side?

[TechHead87]

What are some unseen pros/cons of working for a University?

 

[rudeguy]

What are some unseen pros/cons of working for a University?

They are ran by hippie scum hell bent on ruining our country through socialism and brainwashing of our youth.

Other than that I hear its a pretty good gig!

 

[TechHead87]

Lol

 

[Scotteq]

My brother in law works at a university. His best quote 'Sayre was an optimist'. If you're not sure what that means, google 'Sayre's Law'.

 

[rudeguy]

Lol

One of my good buddies is a Prof. He puts in some really long hours some weeks. Its not uncommon for him to go in at 7 am, be there til 4, then have a faculty dinner or meeting at 7pm. But then again there are days where he "works" from home. Meaning he puts a pile of papers on the desk and watches TV.

He makes decent money and he acts like he really likes it. Are you looking at instructing or more of a support role?

 

[jaedaliu]

I've worked at UC and CSU on the staff side (research related) and faculty side (lecturer.)

Salaries were relatively low, but benefits were great. Job security is pretty big, however in ?2008? when California mandated furloughs, the guys in facilities at the CSU I was at elected to lay off 10% of their employees instead of taking the 10% furlough. A lot of the support staff tends to stick around. The jobs typically aren't as high stress, and job security is nice.

 

[TechHead87]

One of my good buddies is a Prof. He puts in some really long hours some weeks. Its not uncommon for him to go in at 7 am, be there til 4, then have a faculty dinner or meeting at 7pm. But then again there are days where he "works" from home. Meaning he puts a pile of papers on the desk and watches TV.

He makes decent money and he acts like he really likes it. Are you looking at instructing or more of a support role?

Support staff. No faculty work.

 

[IronWing]

I worked as professional (non-faculty) staff for a university for a few years.

Upside: The salary was okay and benefits were great. Access to university IT resources and the libraries was nerd heaven. Access to cultural events, lectures, and reduced tuition was nice as well.

Downside: Everyone, from the profs to the janitors, were on soft money so if a large grant went south you might be gone with little warning. The more grants a position was spread over the safer it was so IT folks, janitors, accounting folks, and administrators were pretty secure. Research staff was at highest risk.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Salary = Moderate/Low
Benefits = Above Average
Paid Annual/Sick/Holiday Leave = Above Average without longevity requirements
Work Environment = Hit or Miss

Job security is often high, budgets are often flat.
There's not often a lot of room to negotiate salary and you typically get paid less and less due to salary compression when working for many years....unless you change jobs every few years.