graduate researcher

graduate assistant

research assistant

dishwasher

student worker

University of Georgia

I enjoyed the 15 years I spent with UGA Cooperative Extension and 4-H Club.  Although the days may have seemed routine with answering phones, assisting walk in clients, receiving fees for agricultural samples and 4-H events, copying, faxing, answering emails, creating documents in Microsoft Word, Excel and Publisher, laminating posters, copying publications to restock the rack of agricultural publications no two days were the same.  Not only did the agricultural side change with the seasons but there were always different events to prepare for, publications to copy, fees to receive and deposit, the 4-H Club presented programs in the public/private schools monthly.  The office I worked in presented 42 school programs each month during the school year.  Then there were all the annual events to prepare for, camps, weekend trips and competitions and their practice schedules.  I learned to focus on many programs/projects at one time.  That was also the hardest part of my job, remembering which agriculture event was taking place and have all the program material ready while jugging 4-H shooting sports event registration, 4-H camp registration, 4-H horse club registration and more.  Multi-tasking doesn't begin to describe it.  I enjoyed meeting the people of the community and learning more about what our local farmers and growers provide, who are educators are and the programs they provide for the youth, the next generation, of our community.  The 4-H parents were a joy to work with and I enjoyed knowing the youth and seeing their growth throughout their years with 4-H.

A typical day at work was instantly reaching the written board, posting the prepared lessons plan for the day, and then delivered the lessons plan while engaging students in conversations and drill activities.  I learned daily how to assess the individual needs, how to adapt to meeting the diverse needs more proficiently. I also learned incredible patience, endurance and how to share other effective methods with my fellow colleagues to keep upgrading our team with greater success.

Management continued to passionately promote High core professionalism with integrity and excellence. Facilitating equipments provided to perform high core services helped me deliver the pertinent services with high proficiency. Management always set an interesting and accommodating environment conducive to excellent work performance.

The hardest part of the job was dealing with a very few clients who were very demanding, but at the end of the day, I was able to patiently pacify them, and encouraged them to complete their program with satisfaction.

The most enjoyable part of my job was not only delivering the instructions and creating the tests but especially in beholding the overall result of the success produced by my diligent performance. I surely appreciated the well-balanced, positive staff.

UGA Food Services is a large operation. Many people don't like working in food services, but it isn't a bad job. From the beginning the pay is pretty good. Base pay is $7.60 for student employees with a beginning of year incentive of 15 cent if you start on or before the first day of school and 15 cent retroactive if you work through spring finals. So basically if you work from the first day of school through the end of spring finals you end up making $7.90 an hour and even if you don't get one raise you can get the other. You get free meals when you go on break. When you are scheduled for 3 hours you get a 15 minute break, four hours a 30 minute break, 7 hours you get one 15 and one 30 minute break, and 8 hours you get two 30 minute breaks. There are plenty of things to eat and each eatery tries to have at least a vegetarian option even if there isn't a vegan option. You get a performance review at the end of every semester and its easy to get promoted fast. I was promoted after a year. The next level of promotion is student supervisor in which base pay is $8.50 with the same incentives as a regular employee. Management is pretty easy going and most managers are students themselves, until you get to full time management. Scheduling is pretty flexible and you normally are hired for a location close to your classes. Currently though, they have a rule that you cannot work more than 20 hours per week.

I have had a positive experience working at the University of Georgia. My department is very supportive, has a healthy culture, and the benefits of working here are good. The biggest benefit was to earn my Master's degree pretty much free of charge while working full-time. The work also offers a lot of stability. 

I am lucky to work in a department that has a healthy culture. This can vary a lot from department to department across this very large institution so that is something important to think about when accepting a position. I have no complaints about my department, which affects my work most day-to-day. 

I wish that UGA Administration would allow more freedom to individual units to develop their own rules and policies related to their work. Pretty much all our department problems stem from USG (University System of Georgia) decrees made by people very far from the reality of our work. I wish decision-making power was less centralized. This would allow us to be much more agile in our work and decisions and would give us the power to give our employees the flexibility and options they want so desperately.

In my experience, the UGA Hotel and Conference Center was a learning example. I started my employment there under an internship. I enjoyed the work that I did and loved learning new aspects of the kitchen as apposed to that of a line cook. The high volume was a challenge to keep up with, but once I found my groove it was enjoyable. The only downside to employment there was the direct management. It was difficult to feel like you had a voice in the kitchen. On the off chance that you were heard, it was a fast and fleeting moment. The employees there are hard working dedicated employees and deserve more recognition than they get. I'd like to see more effort put in to listening to what the kitchen workers have to say about food production and working conditions. The hardest part of the job was trying to stay caught up. I found it easier to write myself a "to do" list at the beginning of each week and check the numbers on the BEO's daily. The most enjoyable part of my job was the freedom of creativity in my decoration of desserts for banquets. I was the only one working the dessert end of the bakery for months on end. I had a plan for each dessert and it's preparation and I was good at it. I reveled in my ability to decorate freely. It was a welcomed feeling of accomplishment to hear the staff compliment my work.

A typical work day at UGA is somewhat fast pace depending upon the department.  My duties included answering multi-phone line, fax, email, retrieve and distribute mail, data entry, file, assist with projects, bill board, photocopier, etc. The most enjoyable part of the job was use of Microsoft Office and front desk duties.  Other duties included     • Analyzes problems, questions, issues, etc to develop and report recommendations for resolving them. 
• Conducts research to compile information needed to generate reports, complete 
projects and accurately respond to questions and concerns. 
• Documents data/information such as office work activities, purchasing, budget 
expenditures, program changes, and resource utilization. Prepares reports and 
communications. 
• Organizes and coordinates daily activities and efficient function of the office. 
Assists supervising staff in organizing and executing routine activities and special 
projects. 
• Plans and coordinates meetings, conferences, seminars, and travel calendars. 
• Provides administrative and/or technical assistance to clients and staff. Researches 
and/or resolves client issues or questions. May represent the manager in various 
matters.

I loved being a Challenge Course Facilitator!  I had to take CPR for the professional rescuer and First Aid to work at this job.  My responsibilities included setting up high and low ropes courses for groups to come and learn team-building exercises.  I was responsible for the proper management of all of the equipment and for the safety of every participant visiting the challenge course.  I would set up and take down equipment at the outdoor and indoor courses.  I also had to learn how to perform a high ropes rescue procedure for individuals stranded on the course.  The hardest part of the job was getting the younger groups to settle down enough to focus on safety issues and rules.  The most enjoyable part of the job was persuading participants to push their limits and to not be afraid, giving them the confidence they needed to go through with the course.  It was absolutely amazing when the participants would finish the course and be so proud of themselves and thank me for the positive encouragement.  I loved all of my coworkers so much!!  I actually had to shadow my co-workers for 6-8 weeks to learn all of my responsibilities as a challenge course facilitator.  They were amazing teachers and I couldn't have asked for a more positive and encouraging group of men and women to work with.

A typical work includes the non-stop evening rush which begins at around 6 PM everyday and concludes at closing, which is 9 PM. The fast-paced work environment requires you to be quick on your feet. We are also required to provide exceptional customer service so a great attitude is a must. The most important skill I learned on this job is to not let a bad personal day influence my productivity or my customer service skills. No matter how I'm feeling, I go in everyday with a smile and come ready to work. The co-workers were sometimes pleasant to work with. I learn how to get along with everybody. I don't let my personal opinion of someone get in the way of productivity while working with them. The hardest part of my job is dealing with a difficult or lazy employee while the dining hall is busy. I would say I managed those situations pretty well though. The most enjoyable part of my job is having a good conversation with my co-workers while we are not too busy. I enjoy working with people I get along with easily, but I am able to adapt to anyone's personality. I don't believe it is impossible for me to get along with anybody,

At the department level, UGA is not a great place to work if you're chasing a salary or looking for advancement as they will most certainly be on the low end of the pay scale and personal advancement is not something they emphasize. So, be prepared to job hunt within the system frequently to get anywhere. Also, the environment is usually very laid back depending on the department which can lead many employees to adopt a lazy attitude. Finally, nepotism is rampant at UGA and leads to some very bad situations, such as your boss hiring their best friend who then leverages their relationship to try and run everything in the department.

On the plus side, most places within the University have a very good work/life balance and decent benefits (especially retirement) with a good amount of paid time off including most school holidays. If you have a family and value the flexibility to spend time with them, working at UGA is not a bad option (depending on which department/unit you end up working in). However, if you are career oriented and want opportunities to grow and excel, you should probably look elsewhere.

After working with UGA Extension, and now simply a Georgia taxpayer, all I can say is the taxpayer is NOT getting it's money- and quality-worth with the University. There was NO accountability, it was all about office politics (and there was a lot of lying, showing up to work late, insubordination and insolence).

Regardless of having University-wide policies to uphold and follow, there was no consequence for blatantly breaking them, or having outside vendors break policies. Facility leadership and upper management (including those IN ATHENS) did nothing about it, denied it, etc. even with years of documented complaints and evidence.

Again, as a mere taxpayer now, I will request to my state legislators and the governor that line-item funding for Cooperative Extension be cut drastically. I'm also contacting my county commissioners to voice my disgust with the money-pit and incompetence this branch of the University has revealed itself to be.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Graduate researcher 37 salaries reported	$28,747 per year
Graduate assistant 9 salaries reported	$24,533 per year
Research assistant 7 salaries reported	$33,643 per year
Dishwasher 2 salaries reported	$16.47 per hour
Student worker 5 salaries reported	$13.10 per hour

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