administrative assistant

instructor

senior police officer

tutor

student worker

College of Southern Nevada

Overall this company is average. It was somewhat difficult for me to balance both my job and school, but they did their best to schedule my hours appropriately and were very open to making sure I attended all classes. The compensation is average, nothing special. I was paid minimum wage for a worker in Nevada, but it was also my first job. There was little room for advancement from what I saw. I was a temp worker and the management maid it seem like they would give a part time position to the best temp worker they hired. No one was promoted, but then again nothing was set in stone, it was just the impression given. I suppose they are careful about that. There was one woman I met on the job who had worked as a temp worker for 2-3 years and then was finally given a part time position. All other employees had been there for years, too. The assistant manager seemed to do much more (and more efficiently, I might add) than the manager, but she was never promoted. Job security is not good. If you make a mistake that's bad enough or if you make two small mistakes twice you're out and they find someone else. The job culture is good and bad. There were some nice employees and there were some extremely rude employees. The manager was the worst. She yelled at me in front of customers for doing something the assistant manager told me to do. Later that day the assistant manager explained that she had instructed me to do that. It was literally so bad that the customer I was talking to right before I got chastised called and complained the management for treating me that way. The assistant manager asked if I wanted to file a complaint, but I didn't because I was worried the manager would treat  me even worse if I did. The company policy stated that employees don't get lunch breaks unless they work for six hours. So they scheduled us temps for 5 hours a day so we didn't get a paid lunch. I also NEVER got a break the entire time I worked there.

In my department, management is inflexible about scheduling. They don’t care if you have children/grandchildren/or families that you care for. Supervisors seem to be more flexible, but the Controller wants everyone working 8-5 except for very few exceptions, and you have to have a disability to be permitted a permanent alternative schedule. During down times, which are often, you are expected to sit at your desk and do nothing, just stare at your blank computer screen. Non-work related activities are not permitted even when all your work duties are complete and you have asked management for additional tasks, but there are none. Most employees use computer privacy screens to hide what they are doing from management constantly walking by to check on what you are doing. It’s like being in elementary school all over again. If all your work is done then why shouldn’t employees be allowed to do personal activities to keep yourself from dying of boredom? 

Coworkers are polite but most are not very friendly or interested in getting to know you, and they don’t like being at work. Monday’s start with the usual, “Ugh, back here again. 5 more days to go...” or “it’s not even 10 am and I want to leave....”. Employees arrive to work and announce the count down of days/hours until  they can leave again. It creates quite a depressing and negative work culture when clearly people don’t want to be here. I hear other departments are different, as in, relaxed and have positive work culture; but I would not recommend working here unless you enjoy an uptight, dull, unfriendly environment; immense boredom at work; and feeling like you’re back in grade school being watched by your teacher.

Responsibilities within my current position include administrative and operational activities of the CSN Sports Center facility that servers over 32,000 students, faculty, and staff members, with intramural and extramural sports, club sports, membership sales, and fitness and wellness programs.  As the Coordinator I develop, enhance, and implement policies, procedures, objectives, and goals for the CSN Sports Center, including directing safety, security, and risk management. I evaluate and measure the effectiveness of current services and programs offered, maintain current knowledge of facility operations, Intramural Sports rules and policies, Fitness and Wellness industry trends, and membership sales goals pursuant to the mission of the department.  I oversee operating budgets, and gift accounts for the CSN Sports Center.  I report expenses and projected needs, evaluate financial performance, program quality, and ensure a high level of customer service. I actively recruit, hire, train, schedule, supervise and provide leadership to Administrative Assistants, a team of student workers, and several volunteers. I collectively work with staff to define short and long term goals, monitor progress of assigned tasks, and ensure programs are consistent with policy.  As a professional at CSN, I capitalize on opportunities to collaborate with a multitude of Faculty, Staff and student employees. I am proud to have been a co-presenter at the Student Affairs Customer Service Training's offered to Faculty, Staff and student employees this past year in which I received an award as a trainer and I have been asked to participate again this year in the Customer Service Training's.

A typical day at work was assisting students with any technical problems with the computers. This includes assisting them with program issues, teaching them where the icons are in some of the programs, providing excellent customer service when students are stressed out. The position has taught me numerous objectives. For example, there are times during the semester where students are stressed out to finish their assignments last minute. I have learned to stay calm, even though I was continuing my education as well. The management was superb. I would help my immediate supervisor with projects that need to be completed. It was a huge learning experience working on numerous projects to expand my learning.

Working with others has been a positive experience, because I got to know different personalities and how others react to certain situations. I felt that I could rely on a couple co-workers during my shift, because I know they like their job and stress on the policy as well.

The hardest part of the job was to maintain patience when students are attempting to blame me on what they did wrong. For example, a student yelled at me when the printer went offline due to an outage. I handled the situation in a calm and professional manner.

The most enjoyable part of the job was helping the students attempt to understand what they need to do when a technical problem arises. Another enjoyable part of the job was that I always received a smile after helping students. That lightens up my day when I know that I can help someone.

I would think that this is a typical start off type job for a student just trying to get some hours while being able to complete their school work so that they can get good grades and succeed at the college but that's not the case. 

     When hired we were told that we could work on school work at our desk but couldn't be on our phones or have headphones in our ears which makes sense because of the fact that your working, but just a few weeks later everyone is constantly on their phones and eating food at the desks while not being called out on it. I was working on my school work and was told that this was inappropriate, which I then asked for clarification because they said that we could, and of course I was told not to do it because it sets a bad example, while everyone else was able to continue to do what they want. Being the only white person I realized I was being signaled out. 

      I later noticed that when I was given a compliment from a co-worker or student my own managers would instantly chime in saying how someone else a person of color or other ethnicity deserved to be complimented instead of me making me feel completely left out of the group even though the others hadn't even assisted the student or preformed the task that I had completed.  

    In my opinion, there are better opportunities out there so just keep looking and you'll find the right place for you.

Cons: I was the second full-time teacher hired (1989). The first full-time prof. had a favorite seh wanted for the position I got. She was resentful and did NOT like my teaching or business style. This was an ongoing isseue between the two of us. She was manipulative and negative in dealings with me. Administation was happy to have me, as I was positive in my apporach to education and the job. By the time  I left for another teaching job ten years later, our department had hired ten new full-time faculty. Initially, the comraderie was great. As we prgressed, other art faculty felt the need to break away from the larger arts & humanites department, which I felt was a mistake. Ultimately, the change did not happen, but in the interem bad blood develped amongst faculty who were either for or against the move. I left the institution at that critical point, which I am glad about. Pros: I beleive that over time, the department, from what I can tell by looking online, is doing fine, due to new faculty who care about teaching at a community college. The good aspect was that administration was VERY supportive of me and my efforts the whole time I was there. I have not had such positive support in other institutions since. 

The first job I ever had, the professional skills I developed while working for the College of Southern Nevada established my work ethic foundation. A typical day at work composed of insuring drawers were stocked with the necessary supplies and information booklets about the college, returning voicemails, emails, administering tours, and answering calls regarding general information about enrollment into the college. Management was led by the Administrative Assistant as well as the Recruitment Coordinator, and was a very inviting and welcoming place to work. From personal presentation to dress code, many lessons were learned and there was a very professional yet open work environment. The job was phenomenal, fun, and informative; this job provided me with real life experience into locating to schools to talk to students about their coming to college and how the process would work both in and out of the recruitment office. No part of the job was too difficult to overcome, and the team of ambassadors and recruiters were happily there to assist and help one another in a team-working, friendly environment.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The North Las Vegas campus specifically has a racially diverse staff which is nice to see. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The pay is awful.

There's not a lot of room for advancement, and promotions tend to be based on who's the favorite rather than who actually deserves it. 

Trying to fill open positions always takes forever, so the remaining staff often finds themselves taking on parts of the duties of the person who left, which can be frustrating since pay does not increase.

Many departments are creating the same kinds of programs/initiatives hoping to get the credit from upper administration. But having too many duplicates ultimately renders the programs ineffective for the students because there are too many choices. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Your work environment really depends on what department you're in, but most people are friendly. However, you will come across some petty situations at times. Workplace politics and bureaucracy reign heavy at this school, so you have to know who to talk to.

I enjoyed working at CSN. The only drawback is that I worked at CSN over 10 years and had no benefits and no retirement.  There was a contribution program that I participated in but it amounted to next to nothing when you consider all the years I worked there! That is a lot of years to work without those essential benefits. The pay was below standard and we waited over 10 years for a raise. This is a very political work environment!!

This job is suited for a student that would like to work and make some extra money. They did have a program that you could get 2 free classes after working so many hours but I think they eliminated that too. That was a nice perk. Also, you can schedule your work hours around classes and there is no back and forth to commute to work. 
Most of the campuses are a nightmare for parking! Allow at least half an hour to 1 hour just to find a parking place unless it is very early.

As an adjunct (part-time) instructor, there is a great deal of freedom with scheduling courses that you will teach (this depends on which department you work for) and you are contracted by semester, so flexibility of your schedule is one of the best aspects of working at CSN. Faculty and administration are kind, helpful, collaborative, and there are many professional development opportunities. The students at CSN are serious about their academic careers and for the most part are focused on their studies and achieving their goals. Helping students to gain confidence in themselves is very rewarding. 

The only negative to being a part-time, adjunct instructor is the pay. The pay is very low compared to the advanced degrees and experience that are required for this position. There are also no benefits for part-time employees.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 4 salaries reported	$41,833 per year
Instructor 4 salaries reported	$48,250 per year
Senior police officer 6 salaries reported	$80,764 per year
Tutor 3 salaries reported	$14.33 per hour
Student worker 3 salaries reported	$13.67 per hour

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