graduate researcher

research assistant

graduate assistant

research associate

postdoctoral research associate

Michigan State University

Upper managers of this university are very politically motivated, and will do anything to their subordinates to get what they want for their own careers. There is a 12 month probationary period for managers. I was told several times that I was doing a fine job and had absolutely no reason to be worried about making it through probation, and had two stellar job appraisals at 90 days and 6 months. In May my supervisor asked a co-manager and myself to come to her office. She told us that come fall one of us would no longer be at Shaw Hall, and that neither of us was losing our jobs as we were both doing just fine; but her boss was not going to allow her to have 4 managers under her at this particular hall, so one of us would have to be trasferred. We went to departmental meeting shortly after that and were told that many positions would be eliminated with the splitting and reorganization of out department. Two months later I, and several others who were hired at the same time and were also still on probabtion, didn't have a job, but instead of laying us off, they told us we were fired! Because we were still on probation we had no union representation (even though we had dues taken out of our checks from day 1). They got away with this because we were still on probation.We never found out why they fired us instead of laying us off except that perhaps they had no intention of ever rehiring any of us that were dining services assistant managers because they wanted to hire chefs instead. In 3 years there has not been a job posting for my position. The worst part of this was that having this on my record made it nearly impossible to get hired somewhere else. I finally got a part-time job that I have been with for nearly 2 years now. I still have not been able to find a good/full-time job because this is on my record. I no longer have this position listed on my resume' because it hurts me more than it helps me. It's too bad the experience I developed there is wasted. I found out from another supervisor that my supervisor was promoted for handling this the way they wanted her to. I was so excited when I learned I had been hired at this wonderful place, but was so heart-broken to discover the truth about the inner workings of this "prestigious" university.

I was a clerical aide. It was my job to go around campus and support offices in their accounting and operational needs on a temp assignment basis. Duties ranged from designing catalogs and voting ballots to working with other departments (IPF) to arrange repairs to balancing ledgers for salary and departmental expenditures. I learned a lot initially, but my stimulation-oriented personality doesn't really mesh with the "blandness" of the typical Spartan and the culture didn't really suit me. I learn my duties very quickly and become bored easily. During one temp assignment, I finished all of the work in one week and it prematurely ended the assignment. After the first week or so at any given place, I no longer felt challenged and just went through the motions. 

The hardest part was balancing my boredom with the social expectations of my peers: I didn't feel like schmoozing with them as I was often stressed from stimulatory stagnation, the jobs felt burdensome and I just wanted to leave as soon as my shift was over which impacted my motivation to show up at all. I was kind of expecting more intellectual stimulation coming from working at a University and some of the social awkwardness in the other employees was kind of inexcusable, lol. I also hated being hit on by coworkers and students too, ugh. They were the last people that I wanted to see in my free time.

The most enjoyable part of the job was learning new things and being allowed to express my creativity with some of the more graphic design-centered projects. 

Despite the fact that I personally wouldn't go back, I would still recommend spending at least a year or so at MSU if at all possible, simply because the free range of duties given and slow pace of work may be helpful to people who take a while to learn new things, but want to increase their repertoire of work skills. Working at MSU wasn't for me, but it does amazing things for many people (Especially students, get a job while you're there!) and I'm grateful for my time there.

Great overall experience. 

I worked at the Cardiovascular Tissue Mechanics Lab with Dr. Baek. Good work environment. Friendly, relaxed work culture.
Description-
I had the opportunity to delve deeper into the field during the summer of 2016. I was one of the ten selected from over a thousand applicants for the international inGEAR ‘16 summer research fellowship at Michigan State University. Here I worked as an independent researcher with Prof. Seungik Baek and Prof. Sara Roccabianca at the Cardiovascular Tissue Mechanics Lab to mechanically characterize pulmonary arteries of porcine specimens to better understand Pulmonary Hypertension; a condition that causes ventricular hypertrophy and possible heart failure. I used an array of remotely controlled sensors and actuators to vary the input parameters and collect data about its mechanical response. After I had the experimental setup and automated LABVIEW program ready, I dissected porcine specimen and carried out experiments to gather data about mechanical behavior under the specific conditions experienced in patients with Pulmonary Hypertension. The initial findings suggested a plastic response from the tissue, which I presented in a poster titled “Characterization of the Mechanical Behavior of Pulmonary Artery” at the Mid-Michigan Symposium for Undergraduate Research Experiences (Mid-SURE 2016). The lab is continuing the project to corroborate my findings with the help of my periodic inputs. The freedom to innovate, coupled with the demanding experimental work, helped me understand
and appreciate the level of commitment and dedication necessary to conduct research. This
challenging project strengthened my resolve to perform effective research.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of my job is the increased flexibility to work from home. We currently can work three days at home and are required to work two days in the office. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I have repeatedly seen management finding it difficult to delegate or assign projects on time, which can be stressful and is the hardest part of my position. As a result, I often shift my personal and work schedule to complete assignments on time. In addition, I often think of creative ways to take time off when planning a vacation during the spring and summer months.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Overall, my company is a great place to work. My colleagues are a friendly group of people to work with, and we work well on team projects, and I seldom find it difficult to work with anyone. In addition, my company offers an excellent compensation benefits package, and throughout the year, we are invited to several company social events, and I always look forward to attending them.  In addition, there are plenty of opportunities to move to a new position and endless opportunities to explore and advance my career.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
For me, a typical workday may sometimes start with an urgent phone call or email from someone from my management team explaining a specific task that needs to be completed without delay. The assignments I originally planned for the workday are set aside until the urgent job has been completed.  I have learned to adapt, be a team player, share my opinions when needed, and be okay if some ideas are not recognized.

If you are a looking to become a graduate student at Michigan State University in the Plant Biology department, I suggest looking at other universities first. There are PIs who do care about you as a person and will help you grow and learn as a scientist, but unfortunately these PIs are the exception and not the norm. I expected work life balance to be skewed going in (it is grad school after all), but the majority of PIs are work obsessed and do not care about you outside of your usefulness toward a project. The classes I was forced to take to graduate were not applicable for the most part and you could tell the majority of professors did not want to be teaching. The graduate program director is okay, but lives in a different state which I believe causes a disconnect. Graduate student wage is decent (for a graduate program) and you will receive good health care. There is a hierarchy within the staff, which makes meetings uncomfortable. Graduate students are near the bottom of the hierarchy, so your opinion will not be well valued even when you have valid points. 

If you do decide to go to graduate school here, I highly suggest you rotate. Your PI mentor will really make or break your experience. I did not enjoy my experience and I can't personally recommended this university for higher education, but I know others had a better experience than me.   

So I left a pretty good company for the possibility of remote work flexibility, opportunity and increased pay and benefits.  The interview process was very short and that seemed odd for such a large organization.  I interviewed twice and had a written offer in a total of 3 days.  As it being a 100% remote position, there was a rocky start to getting the equipment to work correctly, meetings and training.  Training consisted of sitting via zoom with team members as they began to groom you in who to watch out for, who you shouldn't talk to, how to approach certain managers because of their political biases, etc.  I was overloaded with work as I had several job functions and very little direction other than "read and go find the answer for yourself".  When you needed to ask coworkers, typically they would send you a link to policy, instead of explaining their experience with the process.  It can be a very fast paced environment and senior team members found ways to move work off their desks and on to the new members plates.  The Managers all had clear lines of division and team work with other work groups was usually met with resistance.  There is a lot of negative chat about coworkers.  There is a high turnover rate in that department and if a manager does not like you, or if you challenge them, you will get the entire department coming down on you.  Workers are scared to be individuals and if you rock the boat just a little, expect your workload to dramatically increase.   

I mainly checked attendance and called the late or absence employees. I need to talk to managers periodically to make sure everyone is on time and exchange information. In addition, I also do office work such as make menu signs, print paperworks and assist managers. 
Since I am the only person sitting at the customer service window, I have to make sure the window is covered while I am out for managers. This job requires multi-tasks skill, so I need to manage my time well during my shift. And I need to coordinate with managers and employees to deliver message in time and deal with some conflicts if needed. One of the most important part for this position is to make sure every position is covered by employees. 
I remember I found a position does not covered by anyone because a employee called off a day before. I first reported to manager  making sure this was not a typo. Then I called employee looking for extra help. Finally I found someone would like to fill this position on my 9th phone call. 
In general, I like working here because everyone is friendly and enjoy working here. Some managers are nice and willing to help. The most valuable thing for me working here is the promotion opportunities and I feel I am valued employee here. I definite love to work somewhere else that employers pay attention to their employees.

While working residential maintenance, there was never a dull moment. There was a small crew of 2 to 3 people per shift to manage a building of 1000 students and employees. Working in such small groups allowed us to build lasting friendships.There were issues such as malfunctioning toilets, showers, sinks, issues with the drains, scheduling and bookings for classrooms and fire drills. Since working maintenance, I've sharpened my time management skill, public speaking, leadership skills, team building, active listening, scheduling, and I've even leaned bits and pieces of a few foreign languages from the international students.
The student maintenance team was the first thing residents and employees saw representing Michigan State University when it came to handing an issue. It was our job to be respectable, helpful and knowledgeable. Helping groups of people all at once can get a bit stressful but the reward is great. Some students were so grateful that they would try and compensate us. Helping allowed us to build relationships that would spread outside of Hubbard Hall. We would see residents around campus and it was like seeing a friend. I gained so much from working with the residential maintenance team at Michigan State University. The things I learned and the people I met will always stay with me, no matter where life takes me.

On one hand, MSU offers plenty of opportunities, and the working conditions and benefits are good.  The biggest problem is a pervasive toxic culture. Management is largely disinterested, and frequently borders on skirting laws and common decency.  Performance is not really appreciated within the units, although the faculty, staff, and students you serve can be wonderful to work for and with - these were the people who kept me going.  

A pecking order is clearly evident - PhDs are prized and untouchable, especially if they're tenure track.  Faculty have their "pets" who can do no wrong.  If you're not part of the "country club", your work and professional growth are of little concern.  Harassing/bullying behavior of all sorts is tolerated and even encouraged, especially when those at the top end of the food chain are kicking down on those below.  Genuine merit will get you nowhere at MSU.  Appointment renewals are stressful, and constructive feedback is not encouraged or heeded.

A "suck up kick down" mentality drives the place.  MSU thinks it is above the law, above the community, and can do no wrong.  For a public institution and land grant University, they are terrible "public citizens".  Read the news - what they are should be self-evident.

I worked there as a clerical aide with emphasis on bookkeeping for two years. A typical day at work consisted of running reports and correcting transaction coding in the general ledger, entering payroll and completing monthly and quarterly tasks to be looked over by the higher ranks in various other departments associated with university finances. Management was laid back and competent in completing their job tasks, often able to come to solutions to problems themselves. The management was also courteous to both employees and department visitors alike.The workplace culture was relaxed as well. There were few flare ups in the fireplace, so to speak, and everyone tried to be friendly with one another and get along.

The most difficult part of the job for me personally was running monthly reports, simply because I found the the electric "hum" of the printer would almost put me to sleep. I am also not a very social person, so I ended up making myself look bad by passing up most of the company get togethers and not being as inclined to engage my coworkers as I was expected to be.

The most enjoyable part of the job was the lunch hour. It gave me a chance to "reset" my brain and return to the office chair with more focus afterwards.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Graduate researcher 15 salaries reported	$30,764 per year
Research assistant 8 salaries reported	$43,101 per year
Graduate assistant 4 salaries reported	$23.75 per hour
Research associate 7 salaries reported	$60,460 per year
Postdoctoral research associate 1 salary reported	$26.00 per hour

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