assistant professor

preschool teacher

assistant director

cleaner

campus safety officer

Occidental College

What is the best part of working at the company?
The 403B plan offered, the Union for protection, two weeks off at Christmas, accrued sick pay, accrued vacation pay, the ability to take family leaves as well as personal leaves of absence, uniform provided.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Since 2019 the kitchen (including hot side, cold side, dish room and front of house) has been severely understaffed. So much that at times what was five to six open stations were cut down to two to three. The Mgmnt would not cut back on accepting new orders though.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I saw lots of abuse of employees not getting proper break or lunch times. Managers would just say, "I owe you one" when someone brought up that fact. Managers would shift the blame to each other rather than take a touchy subject. Alot of passing the blame.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
First, check for new orders, unload produce, make sure brkfst is set up and people have their assignments, see what needs to be produced, make Salad of the Day, make sure lunch is set up, straighten up walk-in, make sure night crew has their assignments.

A typical day at work involves some time at the front desk, greeting patrons, answering phone calls, checking out books and equipment and occasionally processing paperwork and managing the booking calendar and booking email account. There is also the shelving component, which can be dull but gives you the chance to work independently, which can be rewarding.

At this job, I have learned the Dewey-decimal system, as well as phone etiquette, customer service skills, and how to follow protocols.

The librarians are always very helpful if you have a question and are very kind and friendly.

One drawback to the job is that, apart from monthly staff meetings, there isn't much chance to interact with your coworker, as shelving is a solitary task and only one person is needed at the front desk at a time. The most enjoyable part of the job is being able to help patrons find the books and equipment they need.

Good - The Intercultural Community Center is a safe space for all. Very welcoming environment. 

The ICC seeks to uplift and support the experiences of students who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, low-income or first-generation college students. The ICC also aims to reduce institutional barriers for minoritized groups through intersectional programming, identity-specific services and structural resources.

Bad - Sometimes some groups would focus on complaining about the issues that they faced vs using the resources that they had available to solve the problem. It was a little bit annoying because the people complaining had more resources available to them than individuals from other groups. It seemed like the highly underrepresented groups were more likely to identify problems and propose solutions rather than whine and complain.

A typical day working the support desk involved troubleshooting existing hardware and systems for campus faculty and staff, and installation of new workstations and equipment. Key skills I learned how to balance included juggling multiple tickets at a time, proper research and critical thinking of previously unknown problems, and the ability to maintain a service level relationship with a wide list of clients. The management is close and friendly while the workplace culture encourages initiative for solving tickets in a timely manner. The most enjoyable part of the job for me was meeting and greeting faculty and staff from many different walks of life, and then building a rapport with them through repeated visits.

I worked as a TA for chemistry laboratories. You get to know a lot of the chemistry teachers better. Fun and great way to solidify your knowledge of chemistry and improve your laboratory technique.
Some labs can be a bit boring, and you have to be on your feet the whole time, but there's always interesting conversations to be had with students to pass the time.
Once a semester you have to grade two labs for every student. There are a lot of students. Even when you skim through it, it takes many, many hours. It is horrible. But it's a small price to pay for a comfy job that bolsters your resume.

The operation is not contractual in Dining Services/Catering.  They like to say "Oxy's Own" as they are independently run.  A majority of the staff are Union with benefits, but the remainder are casual with no benefits and no guaranteed schedule.  Upper Management is a bit pragmatic to ideas from staff, with exceptions to some that are liked and respected (regardless of if those staff are respectful of others)  The student atmosphere is friendly, the food served is wholesome, but somewhat repetitious.

A good "first job" I guess. Typical work day begins on wondering if you are going home on time or not (staff is weak with no sense of teamwork). The hardest part of this easy job is dealing with a work culture that is inept and dysfunctional. No Supervision, management is just showing up and collecting a check, with no vision or any attempt to lead. Your so called "colleagues" will change your schedule, at will, and you are stuck with no life. The hardest part of the job was everything. Watch your back here, there is no accountability.. This the best advise I can give. 

I've worked multiple jobs at Occidental College as a student working. Some jobs have been slow-paced and others have been fast-paced. Overall, the supervisors are normally great to work with and understand that being a student comes first. Clients normally include students, staff, faculty, and prospective students. 

Since Occidental College is an academic institution, working here is an educational experience. I've gained many new skills including technical support and clerical tasks.

Juggling school and research. The professors are very understanding and helpful as they are doing the same. The post-docs are helpful and supportive. My coworkers are ambitious and hardworking with full, interesting lives. The most difficult part of the job is finding time to perform very long procedures, especially if I require an assistant throughout. The most enjoyable part of the job is performing tasks that I find interesting, having them work, and then visualizing the data into results.

so i did not work AT occidental college necessarily. i worked for the school in conjecture with a federal grant that provided college access to preselected, high needs public schools. the work we did was well intentioned and it was highly rewarding to see the students learn that college was more realistic than they had originally imagined. certain aspects in management hindered my overall experience there but if you can look over that, you wont find a more rewarding place to work at!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assistant professor 9 salaries reported	$78,997 per year
Preschool teacher 4 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
Assistant director 6 salaries reported	$65,610 per year
Cleaner 5 salaries reported	$18.97 per hour
Campus safety officer 5 salaries reported	$22.33 per hour

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