graduate assistant

graduate researcher

research assistant

teaching assistant

assistant professor

Florida State University

A typical day at work for a full-time PhD. student means staying in a university-based carrel between 8 and 16 hours combining work as an employee and work as a student with a program of study. Through a very rigorous program, a PhD. student acquires an impressively vast body of knowledge in the field of Educational Leadership and Administration. As an FSU doctoral student, one is trained to work collaboratively at all times, and one is given the opportunity to learn from leading figures of the field in question. Management-wise, one is put in charge of an entire class, and one must diligently apply as much knowledge as possible to adhere to the University's and department's standards. In short, one is trained to be an administrator, a professor, a leader.

     There are several factors that make a PhD in Educational Leadership a very demanding endeavor. One of the hardest factors to consider is related to the extensive research one has to conduct seven days a week all year long for as long as the degree lasts. Sometimes, I had to read, analyze, and reach conclusions for 34 hours in a row without going home or taking a shower. Deadlines are crucial, and many papers have to be written. Papers have to comply with very strict research guidelines and academic writing style. 

Important: A "C" grade will automatically take you out of the program you are in. 

     The most enjoyable part of the job is to know how many undergraduate and graduate students become more knowledgeable about education because of the hard work put it by all the members of the department one is part of. Also, interestingly, when one makes it to graduation ceremony, as a PhD. you do not experience feelings of happiness. You mostly experience is huge feeling of relief!!!

Working with Florida State University's School of Theatre was an enjoyable experience overall as I was part of a team devoted to creating an entertaining experience for patrons. A typical day at work was interesting as there was almost always a need to move to get things prepared before the show--and throughout the show, everyday consisted of teamwork looking to optimize a smooth and focused work space. For instance, everyday during and after the show, we worked to minimize the amount of time needed to move set pieces on and off the stage. Working as an usher and crew member for the school of theatre, I learned that teamwork is especially important to ensure that everything runs smoothly and the patrons get what they paid for. No role is unimportant in the grand scheme of an operation. I think management was as professional as possible given the circumstances that the theater was both an educational experience for us students and a business. Workplace culture was vibrant as it was filled with colorful people passionate with creating a fun show and a lot of people my age devoted to the tasks at hand. I think for me, the hardest part of the job was working with the pressure of pleasing paying customers as much as possible. I think this was also the funnest part because it made the work all the more meaningful and less repetitive. I also just enjoyed the fact that I was a part of what made the show happen.

Working at FSU Campus Recreation was a great experience!  I managed seven different sports clubs: SCUBA, Table Tennis, Karate, Cuong Nhu, Swimming, Tennis, and Ultimate Frisbee. Just because I was responsible for those clubs, did not mean that I did not have responsibilities with dealing with other sports.  I had to supervise Rugby games, Soccer matches, and Racquet Ball tournaments.  Supervising of games entailed facility management, dealing with unruly spectators, making sure equipment was stored properly, making sure that athletes and spectators obeyed all the FSU campus rules, and facility clean up.  
My co-workers were great to work with because we were all students at school that had a passion for sports.  We had three different types of shifts: office, sports practices, and events.  Office shifts usually entailed answering the phones, answering questions for clubs, potential club members, data entry, filing, and preparing for monthly meetings.  Sports Practices were when we were working out on the fields overseeing practices, making sure that if there were any problems we'd be able to help fix. Problems included: unruly athletes, facility problems, and injuries.  Events were more or less similar to working out on the fields for practices, except that these would be at night or on the weekends and would have spectators.

Working here was always an adventure. Being a college student movie theater there was hardly a dull moment. Movies (and their crowds) ranged from the tiny Indie or foreign films to huge blockbusters to insane events like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The audience being college students the audience was never boring and they always kept you on your toes. Duties included making popcorn, selling candy, handling line control, cleaning the theater after each screening, taking inventory and standing guard for sporadic water balloon hits during movies (okay that was only a two week thing that the perpetrator grew out of, thank goodness). The hours were flexible and it was very easy to work around class schedules. It is possible to work at the theater without being on the committee that voted in the movies, but that was admittedly the hardest part of working here. The politics involved once promoted to a managerial position where it is required to interact with the committee on a weekly basis was the most stressful part. The members of the committee change very regularly but the doing what is best for the theater can often fall to the wayside when it comes to the personal ambitions of the few.

 Pandemic years work levels rose to almost double the standard workload.  How can we ever get back to normal when the University continues to require us to accept student and employee unexplained absences and deal with the fallout it has on those we manage and services we provide and supervise? 

Pay rate below industry standard, Limited advancement opportunities. Leave time and benefits are good, but your supervisor can veto your request to actually USE  the supposed leave time you accrued. 

The University holds conflicting goals of wanting to be a "top tier" public University but also wanting to claim the fame of serving the most "firsts" of students who are attending. Retention rates and University fame are the top priorities of the University. When student pass rates are low, faculty gets pressured to find ways to make the courses easier.

The stature of students being admitted to the University has degraded over the past decade, so the University is pouring massive energy and funding into attempts to change how faculty teaches.

This job can be challenging in all aspects of your life.  It is heavily team-oriented and you will learn how to compromise, communicate effectively, listen to others' ideas, brainstorm, collaborate, work together with people very differently from you, occasionally deal with internal conflicts between you and other co-workers, help mediate and solve conflicts between residents, handle sudden emergencies, be objective and detail-oriented in describing situations to upper-management, take critical feedback from fellow co-workers and management, as well as the residents that you serve.  

Learning how to change, adapt, and grow are essential aspects of this job and while it may be difficult at first, you will find the skills learned from this job will make you incredibly adaptable and a better professional and person as a result.  You will feel empowered often times to make a difference in others' lives, and to step in when you recognize something wrong going on.

Very happy with this job. The best co -workers ever, no gossip, no competitiveness, no drama, everyone immediately treats you like you've been there for years. You do your work but it is not stressful. The pay could be better but I guess you get it through perks like free to low cost amusement park tickets, retirement savings and just having a job to go to that you actually like. The grounds are beautiful, you get to see some amazing skies and wildlife. The hardest part of the job is the weather, though you only run into a bad day here in there regarding that and you just learn to try and come prepared. The most enjoyable part of the job is independence and being able to work alone for the most part (3rd shift) and socialize when you chose. This is gold for some people. Management is great and I feel they do treat people very reasonably and has a casual open door policy approach to issues. This job is great for retirees and for young people alike. It's a adult's job- as in you come to work and do what your duties are, and you get rewarded with a laid back environment. No micromanagement or cliques or smoke in mirrors or asking to breathe. Come to work, be pleasant, do your job and your good. I highly recommend. Very happy with my time at Ringling.

-Assist faculty/staff with computer, network, printer issues
-Assist students access MSDNAA
-Assist students with iSpace uploads/configuration
-Maintained/updated/serviced several labs throughtout the various colleges
-Rebuild computers for faculty/labs
-Imaged computers
-Response to email/phone/ walk in service request

-Everyday was a learning experience
-I learned what causes a network storm
-I learned how to run a few cmd in lunix
-I learned to work with others
-I got alot of my tier 1/2 knowledge from this job

-Management
Awesome
-Fostered a learning environment amongst the team
-Always willing to teach/ train me as a new IT tech
-Set time aside to train/ update our skills
-Scheduled events outside of work for the co-workers to fellowship with each other.

Coworkers
-Awesome team
-Knowledgeable in various things
-Willing to spread the kowledge & throughly explain
-TEAM PLAYERS

-HARDEST PART of the JOB

-LEAVING the job :-(

MOST ENJOYABLE PART

-Time spent there with the team, faculty, staff
-Thank you notes, that staff/faculty would send out to the team/management about our service

This is the worst place I have ever worked. The leadership talk down to everyone. The two people with the most power are childhood friends so there is no accountability or progress made. The environment is stifling and how well your day goes based on who your supervisor is. The alumni association is the worst place possible to work. The leader yells at employees, threatens employees continued employment if they do not comply with her every want and need and generally mismanages the entire organization. The only people who last here are yes-men. I’ve never had more nightmares about a job or felt so much dread the night before going into work. They also lie about the work life balance. They claim to be extremely
flexible and care about employees work life balance but that facade crumbles almost immediately after you are hired. The workplace culture is toxic and generally mean. Stay away from this job. 

On a daily basis I process and reconcile any dishonored payment that is processed through our centralized cashiering system. This includes both paper checks and web based electronic check and debit payments. I work closely with the accounting department to ensure that the records and accounts are accurate.
I have a very supportive manager who has encouraged me to explore new ways to make our processes more seamless and easier for customers to understand. 
My co-workers and I think of ourselves as a team. We have various sub sections in our department, but we all come together to ensure that we have happy students and families.
The hardest part of the job is during our extremely busy times (Fall and Spring terms) and breaks are limited and we often work extra hours.
The most enjoyable part of my job is being able to help families after they send their kids to college for the first time and helping them understand their accounts.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Graduate assistant 5 salaries reported	$22,645 per year
Graduate researcher 5 salaries reported	$30,200 per year
Research assistant 4 salaries reported	$23,147 per year
Teaching assistant 3 salaries reported	$24.67 per hour
Assistant professor 9 salaries reported	$80,611 per year

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