research assistant

graduate researcher

graduate assistant

teaching assistant

assistant professor

University of Illinois at Chicago

Job Description/Expectations: 
       Building Managers in this position are expected to work under limited supervision of the professional Campus Unions staff. The responsibilities of this position span from general building tasks, program support tasks, and building safety tasks. Some specific general building duties include: maintaining the Campus Unions facilities environment; handling all complaints and general comments from patrons; reporting, interpreting and enforcing building policies when necessary; and coordinating supervision of student employees with professional staff members. Specific program support duties include: using independent judgement in the meeting of departmental standards for special event setups; opening and closing the facility at appropriate times; performing public relations functions for special events; being responsible for all financial transactions in designated operating areas; and making suggestions and observations regarding the management of building. Specific building security duties include:being responsible for the general security of the Campus Unions facility; being aware of relevant security procedures; putting action to building emergency procedures when necessary; and performing all other duties as assigned.
       What I learned from the job was excellent communication skills, time-management, and self-efficiency. My co-workers were all stellar team players, always performing up to the expectations that were set for all of us to meet. My co-workers and I became very close due to the repetition of shared work shifts, which enhanced the dynamic of comradery for all of us. 
       The hardest part of the job was intervening with questionable and deviant behavior that occurred on the university property. It was the most difficult part of the job I had to conquer within the first few shifts, because I knew I was responsible for protecting the building and its occupants from harm or dismay. 
       The most enjoyable part of the job was the comradery that blossomed among my Building Manager co-workers, our supervisors, and other university staff. A mundane tasks during work shifts would immediately become enjoyable based on the interactions shared with my co-workers. It was a great work experience for me to be a part of that I am forever grateful for the  the amazing work atmosphere and the gained knowledge of the workforce and  myself I picked up because of the job .

A typical day at work would start with my co-workers greeting one another, giving each other a boost of energy to start the day. I work at the front desk with checking insurances and check-in the patients. It is always busy at the front desk as there are a lot of patients, especially in the morning. Also at the same time, there are a lot of patients trying to reach us by phone. My supervisor is always helpful when it comes dealing with the patient(s) that has a difficult situation. My supervisor will always let me know what to do or say, at the same time giving me room to learn and be independent. For me, the hardest part of the job is having limited control of the situation; for example, I cannot give a sooner appointment for the children who has multiple cavities to be seen earlier. Most parents are frustrated because their child is in pain. Our emergency clinic is always packed and sometimes we cannot fit in walked-in patients anymore. I feel bad when a child cannot be seen due to the huge number of patients that are being seen. The most enjoyable part of the job is when I did my job right and I am able to help the parents to set an appointment with us. I am happy when the parent(s) appreciate my efforts when I reach out to them and help their kids to be seen in our clinic. 

I learned a lot regarding handling conversations and responding calmly to frustrated parents. I learned to explain the screening procedure or process. I learned to explain the concept and protocols of proper diagnosis to parents.

As Director of Enterprise Architecture and Development, my typical workday included meetings revolving around projects, management, with other directors and with my team.  

Through my time at UIC, I was able to develop and improve several skills as list on my profile.  Unfortunately, since moving to an Upper Management position, some of those skills have become a bit rusty.  Conversely, my management skills have improved.  I was sent to a management course for Information Technology with several of my peers which helped move forward and improve those skills.

Within my department, a work/life balance and the ability to allow members of my team to further their education/ improve their skills were two of the things I focused on to make the workplace culture more appealing.  Sadly, the workplace culture of the upper management was a bit more tense and unpredictable than it should have been which made it uncomfortable to work there.  This, I would have to say, was the hardest part of the job...trying to satisfy a CIO where everything was high priority. 

Aside from that, the most enjoyable part of my job were my fellow co-workers and directors as we tried to create an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration between the various individual departments.  I felt my relationship with my fellow directors and co-workers was excellent.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Honestly, this is the worst inpatient pharmacist experience I’ve had in my 11 years as a pharmacist.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Inpatient pharmacists are not allowed to call in sick unless they find their replacement. Many weekend shifts have no lunch breaks. On Sundays, some inpatient pharmacists are required to do the work of 2 pharmacists, because the department is never staffed appropriately. Pharmacists also never have the opportunity to use all their PTO benefits because the place is hardly ever fully staffed. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Extremely toxic. Pharmacists are overworked and miserable, without the support needed to complete their tasks in a safe environment. Pharmacists are also salaried and sometimes work over 60 hours in a week, depending on the schedule demands. Considering some shifts have no lunch breaks, this creates a patient safety issue.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful. Depending on who your assigned technicians are, you may find yourself answering all phone calls and tubing all medications by yourself. The technicians are union employees, and management does a poor job of ensuring all technicians are trained properly. Management is afraid to deal with the ramifications of upsetting the inpatient pharmacy technicians because management does not want to deal with the union.

Poor management. The CEO of Cure Violence and CeaseFire is a brilliant doctor. However, does not know how to manage and lead, does not know how to communicate effectively, provide constructive feedback or any, even if it is required to comply with something he needs. He has had about 13 assistants in 15 years... During a meeting, he mentioned that he didn't care if his employees were happy. Needless to say, I left shortly after. 

The environment is toxic and unprofessional. Conflict resolution is something that only is applied in the communities, but is not practiced at the main office. For women in particular, the environment is harsh as the male collages are known to overstep their boundaries. There have been claims of s harassment, yet no resolution to the problem. 

There is no job growth or professional development other than that offered by UIC, which management does not care for unless you are in the finance department. 

The organization is dysfunctional. Many people apply because they have seen the TED Talks or the Interrupter's documentary. However, accomplished professionals that have options quickly leave the organization or move within the university; only those that grow comfortable and have little chances to get a better job end up staying.

A typical day working in the laboratory included making media for bacteria to grow in, growing the bacteria, inducing competence for bacterial transformation and plating the bacteria. Other days we would assess the colonies on the plates for growth and competence. Stabbing colonies and regrowth of said colonies was also carried out for further study.

I learned about how certain types of bacteria have the ability to transform or take in new DNA from its surroundings. I also learned how to use laboratory equipment such as microscopes and centrifuges (see resume for more equipment information). I also learned how to carry out research and put it in presentation form.

My mentor helped with much of the research and taught me much of what I learned in the lab. I worked closely with one other student and a couple of graduate students. I learned how to work with others and found it enjoyable to have others to work with.

The hardest part of the job was writing the research papers. It was hard to write down everything that was done because so much was done. I found the challenge of it all, though, to be exciting.

The most enjoyable part of the job was working with other people interested in microbiology, working with bacteria and carrying out independent research. This was a great experience.

* In a typical day at work, we are responsible in accomplishing our work and we rotate our duties from time to time when it is needed.

* I have learned to be more responsible in my day to day duties as I am able to manage my time from one task to another in order to accomodate additional task so that everybody will be able to cope up with our respective duties.

* If there are issues that need to be resolved, we channel these issues accordingly.  And the management will implement a policy what needs to be done.

* We are a multicultural employees in University of Illinois, therefore we have differences in culture and values but we have respect with one another and give consideration with each other.

* The hardest part of the job is when we have to follow the rules or bend it with the respect of moral ethics.

* The most enjoyable part of the job is even though we have some rough days, we all still manage to smile and understand each other.  We don't take our work conflict personally and remain professional.

First off, the Parking Service agent job description didn’t match the actual job responsibilities . I was placed in Valet parking for the UIC hospital. I didn’t sign up for that. It was never mentioned in the job description. It was never mentioned in the interview. It was never mentioned in the initial job offer. My manager didn’t even know I was coming on my first day because he doesn’t choose who gets hired, he gets TOLD who’s hired, which is the weirdest thing I ever heard. I didn’t complain & got in where I fit in. I quickly noticed that department has some serious issues. Their training & direction is TERRIBLE. The valet team is made up of people that got stuck working Valet for years & tired of their jobs. You can’t expect people like that to train you well. There is gossip, hostility, anger, & even fighting amongst supervisors & liasons. Supervisors were incompetent & spent a great deal of time on their phones. Manager gossiped with co-workers & was barely around. Just overall not a good environment to work in.

Work was rewarding, but being on soft money was stressful over the long-term. "Visiting" positions are poorly understood and supported within the university. Be sure to know what's in the union contract for this group, for example, about annual raises. Be prepared to advocate for yourself. I couldn't have learned/accomplished what I did as a researcher at any of another institution in Chicago, but I was in the "visiting" role too long. Unless there's a firm commitment to you, don't be shy about developing employment possibilities elsewhere, particularly if funding is tight. A "visiting" position can be rewarding (build skills; provide new opportunities), but it can also be a tenuous position so protect yourself. 

Working for Campus Housing as an RA on East Campus was tedious at times, but over all a good gig. Being on call and dealing with late night lockouts, fire alarms and noise complains was annoying, especially when the caller was uncooperative. Overall the benefit of not needing to pay for housing and food for the term greatly outweighed the annoyances.  The level of enthusiasm among the staff was uplifting, but at times as a person who did not want to pursue a career in student affairs it was hard to connect with other staff members. This was most noticeable during the staff training weeks. Finally, RA's were required to provide coverage during the breaks (Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Winter Break). This sometimes meant giving up prime time with family and friends. If I had it to do again, I would have accepted a position as a PM instead of an RA because for about 20 percent less compensation I would have avoided 90 percent of the head aches

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Research assistant 7 salaries reported	$26.14 per hour
Graduate researcher 8 salaries reported	$32,000 per year
Graduate assistant 8 salaries reported	$30.88 per hour
Teaching assistant 8 salaries reported	$19.38 per hour
Assistant professor 4 salaries reported	$110,625 per year

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