electrician

senior project manager

project manager

senior scheduler

senior electrical engineer

Metra

Managed various Metra stations oversaw operations, reported train locations to GPS. Responsible for reporting to upper management on various passenger issues, service disruptions and supervised ticket office operations and emergency issues. I worked various hours but mostly 3rd shift (4pm to 1am).  I learned a great deal about train operations, rules and regulations. Trained in customer service, drug testing and observation of employees. I worked closely with upper management, CEO, train master and yard master. My co-workers included Metra GPS, Communications Supervisors, District Supervisors and Ticket Office staff, Metra Police and Amtrak staff. The hardest part about my job was dealing with drunk, unruly and irate passengers. The most enjoyable part of my Job was assisting the many passengers that came through our various stations and being a representative of Metra and of Chicago for the various tourists that would come through,

What is the best part of working at the company?
Not having to pay for the performance and half off the concessions along with possible being able to stay around to meet the performers.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Dealing with the people and the weird looks you get when your trying to clean the bathrooms or get trashed. Especially if your young just wearing the blue shirt everyone looks at you.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There is definitely the most variety of people I’ve ever seen at a job. People from all over and people of all ages and experience.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I’d show up for whatever clean and just wait till I found someone to help me with directions and instructions to go about cleaning the arena. Then clean for 4-5 hours and be able to leave, before performance clean ups are the best after are so much and you won’t leave till abt 1-2 in the morning if u get there 10-11 at night.

Metra is a public transit agency but often identifies itself as a railroad. This struggle creates a division between those who want to maintain the old way of doing things because "it works" and those who want to ensure compliance with public and funding agency requirements and best practices. There are many great and hard working people employed there, but the new CEO has his work cut out for him to undo the negative culture and siloed structure necessary to move forward and become best in class. Senior and mid-level management needs to improve communication, develop staff, be more transparent, stop micromanaging and be held equally accountable in order to achieve the CEO's mission.

Metra is an ok place to work if you are looking for a traditional 9-5 type of job. The company at times feels like it's stuck in the late 90's early 2000's because many of the people have worked for the company since the 80's and don't want to see much change. You often hear things like, "that's not the Metra way" or "we don't have the capabilities to do that" when presenting small ways to bring the company up to date. The new CEO is trying to bring about a change but workers are resistant.

Being a load dispatcher is sort of like being a air traffic controller with the difference being trains. The railroad ran a lot of trains and my responsibility was to keep the power on so that the trains could operate. This presented challenges during bad weather and during times when equipment would fail for one reason or another. Over all it was a very good job and I loved it very much.

Start the day with safety briefing and job assignments, everyone does their assigned work through the day and turns in everything they did at the end.

Learned the differences between passenger and freight cars and the different ways to work on them.

Management is tight but not unreasonable.

Hardest part of the job is working a swing shift, 7:45 am - 3:45 pm Tues/Wed and 11:59 pm - 7:59 am isn't exactly glamorous.

I really enjoy the environment of working as a team with each employee having a specific role.

Metra is like being in jail with a warden for a boss. If anyone ever tells me to go to he__, I can tell them I was there - I worked for Metra!

There is no work life balance. You get no time off the first 90 days and almost none your first year. They have flex time, but it's the hours your manager wants you to work, not the hours you need. Everything is knit-picked and criticized.

Unless this is your last option, take a pass. This is a bait ans switch company that makes working here sound really good, but it reality, it is beyond awful.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Getting out alive. Going home in one peace. Pay is some what good considering long hours.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Change in management and the cult like mentality that metra is being run like freight company despite being a railroad.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very toxic. Keep to yourself is the best choice. Very clique.

Family business, started as international exporter of automotive and marine products, flexed into provision of software designed to eliminate this industry's heavy paper documentation footprint. Parallel provider of freight-forwarding services. Highl- principled organization with an equal demand for quality work. I was a glorified gopher.

METRA was a fantastic place to work at one time. New management came in and the company started suffering. Many of the managers have no idea what they are doing. They have no experience in the departments they were managing, including the Director.  
Numerous positions were filled with people who are relatives of higher up city employees.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Electrician 32 salaries reported	$39.98 per hour
Senior project manager 10 salaries reported	$118,007 per year
Project manager 24 salaries reported	$103,843 per year
Senior scheduler 10 salaries reported	$108,358 per year
Senior electrical engineer 18 salaries reported	$108,358 per year

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