instructor

laboratory technician

director

art teacher

welder

College-of-the-Desert

What is the best part of working at the company?
While working on COD campus added a new vibe to my college experience. Working on campus gave me an opportunity to meet important figures, build my resume, hone my time management abilities, and find tutors and mentors. I learned valuable office etiquette and established a sense of belonging. Most importantly, I learned how financial aid helps students, learned professional skills, learned about budgeting, the value of money and responsibility. Moreover, I also developed a healthy work ethic and self-esteem improvement. Lastly, while working on campus saved me time and gas money and furnished a supportive environment to learn how to interact with the college population. Overall, the college experience allowed me to learn how to manage my time and responsibilities in a more structured and orderly manner.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Learning to acclamate from working a job to becoming a student/ student worker was stressful. Being on campus and coexisting with smart intellectuals also proved to be a bit nerve wrecking. To say it was a difficult adjustment is an understatement because a person's way of carrying on is completely rearranged when becoming a full time student/ student worker.  Other factors of college that contributed to stress were studying for exams, competing for admissions or internships, and attempting to read and absorb large amounts of content in small segments of time. Not getting enough sleep or enough food sometimes caused stress. Procrastinating or doing homework at the last minute added to stress. Hard to understand course work or lack of time to study added to stress. Becoming familiar with balancing classes, participating in activities, completing coursework on time, and self care were a few of the factors  contributing to stress. Other things that added to stress levels were student debt, relationships, and selecting the right academic plan/ college major and career path.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment was up- beat, electric, and dynamic which inspired collaboration and innovation. It was a source of bonding and coming together in common ground to help each other solve problems and equations. A well managed higher education institution which boasted appropriate facilities, above average lecture halls and study labs/ rooms, available school health diadems, mental health support services, and a to the point, not too stringent all inclusive disciplinary  code of ethics and policy. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day at COD campus as a student worker involved bouncing back and forth helping students, juggling classes, reading, working, and socializing. Basically it consisted of morning work, afternoon lunch, study time, extracurricular activities, and studying again. Commute home, late night and then sleep.

If offered the opportunity to return to College of the Desert, I would.

I worked in 3 different types of environments during the 5 years that I was employed.   I worked with students, counselors, I also  interfaced with parents.  I also worked in the adult extension program where I worked closely with certificated and non-certificated instructors.  I was asked n several occasions to participate in fund-raising events that benefited non-profit organizations.  I also participated on hiring panels for both certified and classified employees.

It was rare that I encountered negative statements or situations during my employment.  All faculty and staff were willing to come to a middle ground on occasions were conflict arose. 

I was able to go beyond the scope of secretarial skills by participating in fund raisers, and assisting in the development of curriculum where by administrative and clerical skills applied and participating in several hiring panels.

College of the Desert was one of my best and most rewarding of positions that I have held in the educational parameter.

Each day is a new beginning at COD.  The staff is incredible as they work as a team to accomplish the tasks at hand. Students and student success is a priority. The librarian liaison program is a success as librarians work with faculty to create a meaningful presentation on accessing library resources to succeed in their courses.
Staff in the Academic Skills Center work well with tutors to pair them with students to meet academic success.
I have learned to ask a lot of questions and to listen to those who have a lot experience or expertise in the department. There is a great deal of creativity among experienced staff.
The hardest part of the job is the time needed to get to know the college campus and organizational structure in a complex and challenging environment.  The greatest satisfaction is having students thank you for the time you gave them or cheering them on to fulfill their academic dream.

College of the Desert has given me the ability to develop my technical skills by allowing me to work on projects to assist our internal clients. I have been given the opportunity to develop our technical training and the promotional materials. I am encouraged by my manager to find better ways to complete tasks and if I find or develop something, I am allowed to present it and provide the training or documentation.

The most enjoyable part of my daily job is creating and building on the professional relationships among my peers. I have been able to touch all the areas of the college from Maintenance and Operations to the President's Office. I get a real feeling of community and desire to assist my peers in their jobs as well as doing my own. I have helped others through the development of several online forms using Infopath to automate processes. This has enabled me to learn more about the different areas that support the students and organization.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The $1000 the college would put up for your continuing education every year. I was able to go to conferences where I learned so much and got to network.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I only was given about 12 hours per week which is not nearly enough, so I had to take a second job.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is friendly, but also very beurocratic, as most colleges are.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I spent most of my time at the reference desk, helping students find materials for their projects. I also taught library instruction to my liaison area. I would sometimes have to teach at the satellite campuses also.

Our day starts in the Maintenance office. 

Our supervisor gives us any new information concerning our job, such as set ups of tables & chairs or if someone is missing due to vacation or sick leave how we are to cover their area. 

Our management is very minimal, since we know what or assigned areas and duties are and how to best perform our duties. 

My co-workers and I work well together to cover our areas. 

I'm always learning better ways to perform my duties from the newest cleaners and equipment to personal interaction with co-workers, students and other employees. 

The hardest part of my job is when I have a busy work load and find out I need to cover a co-workers area in addition to my own. 

The most enjoyable part of my job is when the job is well done.

My main focus was to sort and deliver mail to faculty and staff, but since I had many years of experience at the US Postal Service, and I have good hand and eye coordination, there was not enough work to fill my day.  I informed my supervisor of this issue, and offered to assist my co-workers in their work, if needed.  My supervisor allowed me to learn different fields in our department, that I may not have learned otherwise.  This supervisor was one of the best I have ever worked under.  The hardest part of the job was learning the college-specific software; it was complicated, but not difficult.  I enjoyed every aspect of my work.  Time flew by and I looked forward to going to work every day.

The College of the Desert is a great environment with many opportunities and a very friendly staff and a positive atmosphere.  I enjoy the people, the location, and the local community in the area.

The job is a very typical junior college baseball working environment.

I enjoyed working with the players through development both in the classroom and on the field.  Matriculation onto the 4-year college experience was the focus of the job and giving the players a great environment to learn, grow and become well-rounded student-athletes and future fathers and coaches.

I enjoy going to work every day conducting all of the elements of the baseball training experience.

College of the Desert is a great place to work.  However, it is very difficult to be hired as a full-time employee.  This is primarily due to the fact that the College hires primarily from within.  Also,since  there are so few good paying administrative jobs in the Coachella Valley, there are a ton of applicants for every administrative position at the school.  Additionally, please recognize that this is a fairly small school compared to a large University and that the wheels of progress move very slow and this can be frustrating to someone that wants a faster pace and not as much bureaucracy that a smaller school embraces.

At College of the Desert, I worked in three offices:  Educational Support Services, Admissions & Records and the Bursar's office. Detailed explanations of each of these positions has been submitted in previous reviews herein.

Specific to Educational Support Services, the job entailed detailed record keeping and filing, and assisting faculty with grading, posting positive attendance, scantron grading, among many other tasks.  I learned about working in an educational setting.  The department management was exceptional, as were my co-workers.  The hardest part of the job was calculating positive attendance.  The most enjoyable part of the job was interacting with faculty.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Instructor 3 salaries reported	$9,819 per month
Laboratory technician 6 salaries reported	$79,780 per year
Director 4 salaries reported	$138,392 per year
Art teacher 4 salaries reported	$71.65 per hour
Welder 4 salaries reported	$9,476 per month

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