instructor

federal assistant

administrative assistant

program coordinator

pt assistant

Central Piedmont Community College

Once upon a time this may have been a good place to work, but no longer. Salaries have always been poor and have remained stagnant as Charlotte's cost of living has skyrocketed. Pay is now laughably low even compared to other public sector employers in the area (to say nothing of the private sector). Pay grades are broad on paper, but departments hire as cheaply as possible in practice to the point of leaving some positions open for months or even years. To make matters worse, it's quite literally impossible to get a raise beyond the NCGA's 3-4% / year scraps unless you're promoted or have your position reclassified (neither of which happens particularly often or, indeed, even guarantees a raise in the first place).

Benefits are mediocre: yes, you get the much-vaunted state employees' pension plan, access to the State Employees' Credit Union (arguably the best benefit), and more PTO than you'll ever be able to use, but that same pension plan also takes a big mandatory chunk out of your small paycheck & the college does not offer any sort of 401k matching (not that you'll be earning enough in the first place to contribute to both a pension and a 401k). To add insult to injury, the president of the college recently rescinded all non-medical hybrid / remote schedules with less than a week's notice and no offer of stipends to compensate for the loss of this benefit, making CPCC one of the few large employers in the area which has entirely abandoned remote work (even the big banks still offer hybrid schedules). Worst of all, high achievement is rarely if ever rewarded; performance-based stipends are rare and small, and the "pizza party" meme is still very much alive and well here. Naturally, all of this has led to cratering morale and an exodus of crucial veteran staffers. Middle management is generally supportive and aware of the problems, but they are powerless in the face of upper management's callousness, cluelessness, and general dysfunction.

I'll repeat what I've posted at another site for the sake of consistency. 

Pros
Higher Ed is an industry that you seek out because you enjoy it. CP is not any different in that its core mission (to serve and uplift students) is something that attracts industry veterans and first-time job seekers. Most people were great at their jobs and my immediate supervisor (before they left) was wonderful and a visionary. Benefits are not terrible. Campuses are beautiful and the buildings are (if not new) renovated enough to allow for a good physical working environment. Charlotte is still a growing city in the Southeast US, so business will remain mostly stable, so this is a stable place to work at. CP has a lot of goodwill in the community, based on decades of good work put in by people long gone. The county loves the college, as evidenced by the support for bonds and other funding sources.

Cons
It has to start at leadership; all the way from the President on down. While there has been similar attrition at all workplaces over the past few years, the turnover at CP has been particularly striking. There does seem to be a my-way-or-the-highway authoritarian attitude that has trickled down and is probably the antithesis of most leadership schools of thinking. Perhaps this has the approval of the Board of Trustees; perhaps they are ignorant. Regardless, a place that was a pleasure to work at, has been turned into a place of whispering and keep-your-head-down-and-work. This is also evident in the greater community college scene in NC - CP used to be seen as a beacon of leadership for innovation and risk-taking. I don't think this is true anymore.

Advice to Management
Trust is in very short supply; make sure you are solving for that.

My typical day of work starts with me coming in at eight am. I flop down my book-bag as I log into the (already turned onto computer) after I'm logged in I log into the software programs that I will be using for the day. By the time I'm completely set up it's already eight o'five. The mornings are fairly slow and I may have one or two students sign up for Financial Aid. Students usually come in around nine or later. When I'm not seeing students I am to doing my homework, sketching, reading, or talking with my coworkers. 
This job has helped to be patient with dealing with students and also understanding. If I understand something that doesn't mean the student will. So that means I might have to repeat myself or rephrase what I'm saying so the student will understand what I'm telling them. 
I love my co-workers,everyone single one of them is friendly and nice. We all have each others back and care about one another. It almost feels like we are a huge family. 
I would say the hardest part of my job is dealing with students who want to start problems. I understand why some may be upset however, them yelling at me for their problems is something I don't enjoy. Yet, I calmly talk to them and ask them questions politely. If they still don't want to work with me I have them talk with my boss. 
The most enjoyable part of my job is that it's flexible and relaxing. I don't have to work weekends and since I'm also a student they work around my class schedule. It's also fun to meet new people and see what they're taking up in college. I also love that during the year there will be free food somewhere on campus.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The department structure was created by the chairperson and staff that created a welcoming environment for the students to engage in activities allowing creative energy for everyone. The atmosphere was filled with positive energy and positive vibes for all students.
I had a great time experience as an instructor during these years! Was fortunate to always have a classroom full of prospective students who had the desire to one day manage teachers or become teachers of the young.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I had such a great journey working and an amazing time at Central Piedmont in that stress was not a factor, I dwelled on the experience and it’s rewards.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The classroom was always pleasant and ready for my day to begin! Teamwork was the best strategy for this environment.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day was always being prepared to carry out the lesson, allow opportunities for the exchange of information among the students for engagement. The setting would be opened to individual sharing, small group sharing and large group sharing of ideas that works as best practices with young children and youth!

Let me start off by saying, I loved working in Financial Aid. I was considered a work-study; I would work and take classes Monday-Friday. Originally from New York, I moved to Charlotte with my mom in 2009.  I lost my mother mid-semester Fall 2012. Due to her passing my grades dropped and I unfortunately had to resign. I enjoyed going to campus everyday. I've come fond of many of my co-workers; we were like a family. I learned so much in a month of being there, and met a lot of amazing and respectable people. I was all customer service; mostly over the phone and in person. I enjoyed putting smiles on student's and co-worker's faces. The job wasn't technically hard. The hardest part was the pressure from "upper-management." With the high call volume during peak registration, we would answer phones back to back. We would also get many upset students as well, but always managed to do it with a smile and whine up putting a smile on the student's face as well. The most enjoyable part of my job was everyday because it was always something new. I learned a lot during my time at Cpcc. I am currently making a transition from Charlotte to Richmond to be closer to family. After mom passed, I was in Charlotte with no family. I'm looking forward to a new adventure and opportunities.

I enjoyed my overall job Duties at CPCC because I served in lower management which meant that I had some form of autonomy. CPCC is an ever growing and innovative college and it was truly nice to witness the growth. I truly enjoyed the work that I did by serving college students in need. I had a bad experience with management and within the department that I worked in within Student Affairs. There were a lot of cliques and upper management showed favoritism to employees that they liked. If you were a favored employee, you received higher pay and more opportunities for advancement. My manager didn’t fully train me on all of my job duties and wouldn’t allow me to fully learn the job in its entirety. Upper management was also very misleading to lower level employees. I watched people be strung along and misled about their job security only to be fired. Also, employees have to watch their step and brown nose to keep their jobs. I witnessed a lot of brown nosing and those employees had job security. In my case I unknowingly  got on the bad side of the wrong person and my career was over. 

The training and management here is absolutely horrific. When trained, they fly thru every thing very quickly, have sarcastic comments, never have straight answers or explanations, and/or are silent and just stare at the computer screen without offering any guidance or help. There was no discussion about breaks, dress code, lunch, etc. but they expect you to know about all these things already. Very unprofessional and terrible communication. The department is split and the tension and hostility amongst employees creates a very uncomfortable workplace. CPCC brags on themselves about how great they are and attempts to represent themselves as a fantastic place to work where turnover is minimal. This is certainly not the case. I was very excited to work here but I am kicking myself for accepting the position now.  The benefits are pretty good but the pay, lack of training, tension, and lack of sense of belonging are not worth it.

	Responsible for the development and implementation of classroom instruction of the Human Resources Development curriculum in accordance with course descriptions.
 
	Developing and updating curriculum and educational materials and methods used to advance learning in the classroom.

	Maintaining accurate class attendance records, compiling Human Resources Development student registration and fee waiver information and submitting reports and administrative paperwork to the Human Resources Development Program Director.

	Promoting and recruiting for Human Resources Development, Career Readiness Certification, Adult Basic Skills, Continuing Education and Curriculum Programs throughout the community. 

	Complying with college policies, internal audit procedures, rules and regulations. Participating in faculty/department meetings, training sessions, committees and campus activities.

The organization was very supportive in training, answered questions and concerns on the same day and made the job easier. When I had to share that I could not return the next semester due to a medical issue that required immediate attention they were supportive. The set up of the classrooms were difficult as you could not move anything in them since we were night classes and not the primary classes. Also, it is a night class that lasted late many students were tired after long days of work and school. My favorite part of the class was a discussion with the students. When they became engaged and got it. Sometimes I would take them out of the classroom setting just so we could sit in a circle to engage face to face instead of just lecturing.

-Overall I enjoy working at CPCC.
-In my department I have work life balance mostly as we participate in a flex schedule where I can arrive earlier in order to leave earlier. In the summer we work 4 10 hour days and have Friday off. We are also granted the last two weeks of December off for extended time with our families during the Holiday Season.  
-Compensation is fair, we are not in a competitive salary market as our funding is provided by the state however, the benefits are always a plus to have in addition to salary. 
-Most jobs are secure and we do not see many lay-offs. Typically employees leave on their own as the college remains loyal to their staff. 
-My personal management was great, it is always good to have an awesome leader, especially when you are in a place where you are interested in growing and developing. The college promotes personal and professional growth as my leader does as well.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Instructor 35 salaries reported	$54,390 per year
Federal assistant 15 salaries reported	$15.79 per hour
Administrative assistant 3 salaries reported	$15.28 per hour
Program coordinator 12 salaries reported	$52,558 per year
Pt assistant 53 salaries reported	$15.35 per hour

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