graduate researcher

research assistant

student worker

graduate assistant

instructor

Louisiana State University

I worked in the Information Technology Network Operations for 5 years, and was still considered "training" even after taking over responsibilities for Production Control.  I was the lowest paid person in the office, with twice the responsibilities.  I was managed by 3 people and was the only Production Control technician at the end of my tenure. I was set up to take a write up for my direct supervisor's scheduling error, of which I presented her own writing telling me the way it was to be done (the wrong way).  I was thereafter rewarded with a night shift (7pm-7am every thurs-sat) and left to rot.  I ended up leaving to go back to University full time.  My hiring director retired after 3 years of my working and the new manager never made any attempts to even introduce himself to the employees.  He made wholesale organizational changes which only made less employees do more work.  He had no interest in half of the office personnel and was not a man of his word.  I have no regrets about leaving.  They promote the wrong people based on demographics and not work performance.  It was a dead end position with no opportunities to advance unless you were personally hired or liked by the new director.  I feel I was made to be "forced out" which I did after a full year of graveyard shift work and unkept promises.  Good riddance.  If you work in other departments at LSU you may have a better experience.  I personally liked the other people in the building but Network Operations was a complete joke.  When they would do my performance reviews I would always get "just enough" points for my merit raise, but would never be given proper credit for my work product (of which I take great pride in, enough not to accept responsibilities for other people's mistakes).  It was a head game that they play but if you don't respond how they want they use.  And after 5 years they still kept saying I was "training" even though I was handling all the day to day duties myself and sometimes would even do after hours work off the pay clock (with no recognition for doing so).

Most days in the LSU Bursar's Office are extremely busy, assisting students and working with outside entities. I have learned so much about the higher education system than I could list here. I enjoy working with all of my co-workers and if/when I was to leave I would miss working with them.

In my position as Account Supervisor, I work a lot with students and parents trying to get into school or trying to figure out how to pay for school. I enjoy assisting students and figuring out how they can afford school, I also get most excited when I solve a problem or balance an account that other individuals have been unable to do. One of the hardest parts of my job is when I have to refuse a student to register for school but it is part of the job and although I do not like it, I handle it in the most professional way and do not get emotionally involved...some of the stories are truly heart breaking.

The main issue in the Bursar's Office is the management, or lack thereof. Issues/problems are not handled. Tasks are not evenly and properly distributed. There is lack of communication between management and the rest of the office.

There are so many thing I love about this job but do not see myself progressing. I have stressed my interest in progressing and making changes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our department as a whole but have gotten nowhere. At this time, I am ready for change.

My experience is solely based on working in Enrollment Management, which includes Admissions, Retention, and Financial Aid. I cannot speak for other departments, but I can say that you are overworked, underpaid, and completely unappreciated in the office of Enrollment Management. The only pros are the benefits and time off if they even let you use your time off. You are barred from taking off multiple times throughout the year. Other than that, you will constantly feel like this job is sucking the life out of you and that you are not being appreciated for the hard work that you put in. The culture is not good, and it tends to be all about the enrollment numbers, not the health and well-being of the employees. The only enjoyable part is that you might develop some friendships with your co-workers. This office has definitely changed, and ever since COVID hit, you are expected to feel the weight of responsibility for enrollment numbers, even though we all know there are so many factors that go into these numbers. Perhaps working in other departments is better. I would advise against ever working in Enrollment Management if anyone were to ever ask me. While I do understand enrollment numbers are important, it would be great to have leadership that also values the well-being of their employees and lets them know they are appreciated. 

Literally Hades on earth. Levels of dysfunction beyond imagination. Unless you are one of the many crony or nepotism hires, you will likely be miserable. I had the misfortune of working for a very bitter person who was angry at the world due to their lonely and unhappy personal life. A former fast-food manager, the individual I had the misfortune of reporting to somehow obtained a technical managerial role. I was warned in the first week by 2 upper level managers that my predecessors were chased from the position by this "Manager", and they only found peace and some semblance of normalcy by transferring to other departments. I was often approached by near strangers who offered their condolences for what they knew I was surely going through, and they shared shocking anecdotes of this person's behavior that would boggle the sane mind.
The staggering levels of waste and irresponsible spending should be investigated by legislative auditors. The ratio of management to worker bee was likely 2/3, with many do-nothings with bloated salaries taking 2-4 hour lunches daily. If you are interested in trying out for an episode of Hoarders, they are having  casting calls on the 7th and 8th floors of their "Resource Building", the hub of dysfunction and waste. Steer clear at all costs. You have been warned.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The work atmosphere is positive and conducive to providing the student body with a rigorous and solid educational foundation. The faculty and staff exhibit a group dynamic that is inclusive and supportive of new hires. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part were issues I created for myself and not really company derived. But if I had to pick something, I'd say meeting the state required training deadlines during finals and the end of the semester while being plagued with computer error messages and crashes and erased input. But, again some of those were user error and system ignorance on my part. And the ones that I am confident were independent of my computer naivety were handled by various IT staff. The IT department on campus was wonderful as were the faculty tech help personnel through the textbook publishers. They made what would have been a super stressful set of issues more analogous to inconvenient aggravations. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Professional, kind, helpful, understanding, patient, and focused on the common goal of providing students with an exceptional education.

Adjuncts are not supported for professional development or equipment to do their jobs effectively. Remote workers are pawned off to a third-party staffing agency. There is no real work-life balance. They will not consider interviewing and hiring internally for full-time faculty from the part-time faculty. I have worked for this university for nearly ten years and have been essentially typecast in my role and had my applications to other positions ignored, despite my immediate supervisor saying good things about me/my work. I did receive one raise in ten years, but admin capped the courses adjuncts are allowed, meaning I make less now than I did when I started. Pay is monthly, but not really, because you do not get paid in January and will not get paid in June, July, or August unless you taught summer courses that spanned those months. I work for this university and one other college and am still earning below the poverty line with my combined courseload. If I weren't married to a higher wage earner, I would be homeless.

A typical day at work will mostly consist of answering and directing calls and helping residents with key programming and dorm issues. 
You will learn basic computer skills if you do not already know them and will learn how to handle a variety of situations. I also learned how to work within an office environment and how to work with various departments. 
The only coworkers you have as a Desk Assistant are your bosses, however they are also the most helpful and kind bosses you may ever have. 
The hardest part of the job is likely the hours. It is a 24 hour position and thus you can  sometimes be working a 12pm-8am shift. However the management would allow you to do homework and studying if you are in college during these hours as you often go undisturbed for the whole shift. 
The most enjoyable part of the job was definitely the flexibility. Depending on when you could work you could have maximum hours in a week or if you are busy you could get to practically no hours. The managers and other desk assistants are all happy to help when you have issues.

I would walk into the front doors and come a few minutes early. You would never know exactly what to do that day, it was a new experience. 

I learned how to do most electrical and software work. My job was very high tech for a student worker. I was pretty much a personal assistant to a long term employee. So the employee was my superior. However, I learned a lot working under him which was the greatest experience of all the jobs I've worked. 

My co-workers were professors, engineers, physicists, under graduate, and graduate students. So I worked with people who came from all walks of life. The hardest part was putting twenty hours in when there was so much more to be done. However, the most enjoyable part of the job was doing what I loved to do. Fortunately I was working for the department my major was in. While I was learning in my classes, I applied the knowledge when I went to work every week and that was a very satisfying feeling.

On a typical day I would provide technical assistance to professors and event managers, set up and run equipment for employee use, train new employees, and conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems to provide technical assistance and support. 
     This job strengthened my communication skills and professional demeanor. Furthermore, this job fine tuned my trouble shooting skills and helped me develop a sense of teamwork and how to work with others when trouble shooting technical problems. Moreover, I was able to almost perfect my time management skills with this job. Juggling the roles of a full time student, part time employee with LSU, conducting my own Psychological experiment, and participating in the GEAUX teach program have all taught me how to effectively manage and organize my time.
      I would say hardest part of the job was learning how to effectively manage my time working along with my other roles at the University. The most enjoyable part of the job was learning to work closely and well with others, allowing me to network and gain new acquaintances.

Arrive at your interview equipped with as many questions about the office culture, your prospective colleagues, and your potential supervisor as you have about the job itself. Don't accept a job offer solely based on your skills matching the role or because the workplace seems appealing. Be proactive. Be ready to maintain a work journal and document any concerns if you feel something isn't right. LSU's Violence Free Workplace Policy hasn't been updated since 1998 and doesn't cover all forms of power-based violence between supervisors and subordinates. Check out workplacebullying.org for the most up-to-date resources to help you navigate challenging situations. Given my experience across multiple units, I've observed recurring patterns that underline the importance of this advice. While I've encountered wonderful individuals during my time at LSU, it's widely acknowledged that there's a significant culture problem within the institution. It's essential for everyone to remain vigilant and aware. Never let your guard down! Be safe. It can be a very fun place to work.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Graduate researcher 6 salaries reported	$25,779 per year
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Instructor 6 salaries reported	$61,667 per year

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