research assistant

student assistant

graduate researcher

teaching assistant

student worker

University of Texas at Dallas

What is the best part of working at the company?
Being local and the benefits the company provides.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Managed Multiple Campus Environments under UT System

Oversaw multiple campus environments within the University of Texas (UT) System, which involved managing a large volume of servers and environments.

Faced significant challenges due to the scale and complexity of the setup.

Additionally, the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) did not recognize the Student Information Systems (SIS) team as part of their organizational structure or HR policies, which created added stress and ambiguity around roles, responsibilities, and support.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is complex and demanding due to the need to manage multiple campus environments under the larger UT System umbrella. There is a high volume of systems and servers, which requires constant attention and coordination. The culture can be siloed—especially at UTD—where certain departments like SIS are not fully integrated into local HR policies or organizational structures. This can create confusion around support, accountability, and recognition, adding to the overall stress of the job.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day involves handling a high volume of tasks across multiple campus environments within the UT System. This includes:

Monitoring a large number of environments and servers

Managing database backups, environment refreshes, and log reviews

Supporting ongoing project work and resolving environment-related issues

In addition to the technical workload, I also had to navigate communication challenges and pressure from an aggressive manager, which added to the stress of the role.

UTD requires all employees to pay into Teachers Retirement (TRS) Service and Social Security which most schools do not require both. TRS invests this money for a substitutional profit which is not shared with the contributors. TRS implemented "The Rule of 80", meaning your years of service plus your age must equal 80 before you are considered eligible to collect TRS retirement fund money. There are several legal provisions making the money contributed to this fund unattainable to the employees. This is a mandatory requirement for all UTD employees. Funds may not be used in a divorce without a special and costly judgement, funds may not be rolled over into an IRA should you change jobs. Any funds which do not comply with TRS rules will be forfeit. Collection of TRS will affect ability to collect Social Security. 

UTD uses a system of sick time and vacation time rather than a PTO system. Vacation time is swept into sick time if not used yearly and sick time may not be used without a doctor's note after two consecutive days. This makes the benefit of paid time off largely inaccessible to a UTD employee and is designed to diminish each year of employment.

Health benefits are marginal and the enrolment period is extremely limited. Vision and Dental are not standard and cost employees additional. Disability insurance of any kind is conditional upon past medical history. Experiences range from being denied due to pre-existing conditions to having the insurer question the employee about information obtained from medical records. 

UTD requires all employees to purchase paid parking spots. There is no guarantee you will find a place to park.

UTD requires written permission prior to travel during normal working hours if leaving campus, excluding lunch or medical appointments.

Working as a Graphic Designer at UT Dallas has been an enriching experience, offering both professional growth and a dynamic work environment.

Pros:
Innovative Environment: UT Dallas fosters creativity with a culture that values fresh ideas and design experimentation. This is ideal for graphic designers looking to push artistic boundaries.
Collaborative Work Culture: The opportunity to collaborate with diverse departments provided exposure to a variety of projects, from academic brochures to digital marketing campaigns.
Professional Development: UT Dallas encourages continuous learning through workshops, seminars, and access to design resources, ensuring designers stay updated with industry trends.
Work-Life Balance: The university offers flexible working hours and a supportive atmosphere that prioritizes employee well-being.

Cons:
Bureaucratic Processes: As with many large institutions, approvals and project workflows can sometimes be slow due to administrative layers.
Limited Creative Freedom on Some Projects: Certain projects require strict adherence to brand guidelines, which can limit creative exploration.

Overall Experience:
Working at UT Dallas as a Graphic Designer is rewarding, especially for those who thrive in academic settings and enjoy contributing to educational initiatives. The role provides a balance of stability, professional growth, and creative opportunities.

Recommendation:
Ideal for designers seeking a collaborative environment with a steady flow of diverse projects, backed by the prestige and support of a leading academic institution.


Working as a research assistant at the University of Texas at Dallas presents a multitude of exciting opportunities and advantages:

Cutting-Edge Research: Engage in groundbreaking research projects at the forefront of various disciplines.

State-of-the-Art Facilities: Access modern facilities and resources, fostering an environment conducive to innovative research.

Mentorship Opportunities: Benefit from close collaboration with experienced faculty members, providing valuable mentorship and guidance.

Networking: Build a robust professional network by interacting with esteemed researchers, professors, and fellow research assistants.

Professional Development: Enhance your skills and knowledge through continuous learning, workshops, and training sessions.

Contribution to Knowledge: Contribute to the advancement of knowledge and make a meaningful impact on your field of study.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Collaborate with experts from diverse fields, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to research challenges.

Competitive Edge: Gain a competitive edge in your academic and professional journey through hands-on research experience.

Travel Opportunities: Attend conferences and present research findings, offering the chance to explore and share your work on a broader stage.

Community Engagement: Participate in community outreach initiatives, applying research skills to address real-world challenges.

These aspects collectively make being a research assistant at the University of Texas at Dallas an enriching and fulfilling experience.

A typical day at work: 
Assist students who walk in to the office or call regarding any questions relating to the management school. Also, I am responsible to manage the paperless system as we are changing from the manual physical storage to a more efficient system. Lastly, I collaborate with many other employees within our department to place students to the proper location.

What you learned:
I learned how to effectively work as a team by getting a clear understanding of my task and how it will benefit the end result. Also, I have enhanced my MS Word and Excel skills due to the special projects I worked on.

Management:
The management has been extremely supportive and helpful in encouraging employees to provide new ideas that can improve the existing process or system. No one is left out.

Co-workers:
I believe we have some of the best co-workers as they are fun to socialize with while working. It creates an optimal environment where employees can feel excited to come to work while also completing the task.

The hardest part of the job:
The job is not really hard per se, but their are a lot of different tasks that may need to be completed.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
Working with the employees who are like family

A typical day at work would start with a meeting conducted by myself, and attended by the two developers i was managing and various employees of the University interested in the Budget project we were developing.  The topics would include progress by the developers from the prior day, any review or additional requirements from the University staff, and a reviewed set of objectives for the future if applicable.
I learned some parts of Microsoft Access that I was not aware of, and in fact took over maintenance of the project once the developers were gone.  I also learned a great deal about Java interfaces to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and to Oracle databases.  Reconciled several issues between various Oracle tables in the Peoplesoft application.
Management was very supportive of my work, and that of others, and seemed appreciative of all our efforts.
The hardest part of the job was keeping up with all the dedicated employees who were willing to extend the work day into nights and weekends in order to meet deadlines.  This was also the most enjoyable part of the job.

I would typically take calls and emails throughout the day. Most of the time I was walking over to someone's office to fix a hardware or software problem. I would then throughout the day check in to our help desk ticketing system to close or add information about technical support requests. The management directly above me were always excellent, but those above them could be hit or miss. The hardest part of the job was the time frame to close tickets. There was a tension between the speed to close tickets and the desire to actually fix the problem. Often I would close one ticket because the person said the problem was one thing and it really was another thing. So, I had to close the first problem and open a ticket for the new problem. The new ticket went back into the queue. So, it took longer to fix the real problem, though tickets were being closed. I loved the opportunity to be in people's office helping them. I often found I played the role of a counselor as a computer problem was the last straw of a mound of other problems. So, as I fixed the technical problem I found I was a helpful ear to their true problems.

This job is treated the same way a teaching job would be. You get the same benefits, yes, but also the same problems. 25% of my salary is taken away for taxes and retirement that isn't available for 5 years, and the training is git and miss, the phrase "I'd like to just hire people who already know everything" is common. This isn't a bad buisiness practice, but the gap between new hires and the tenure of long term employees gets bugger every year as the new hires looking for proper training and opportunities are left to feel "less than" and that unless they are willing to take minimal pay for several years they won't achieve any level of comfort or satisfaction, at least this is my experience after literally begging for training opportunities. If you're older and looking for a place to go after you've been made tired of a trade, it can be a great place, but a young person like me won't find anything worth investing in until you have stayed for a minimum of 5 years, so you'd be reliant on your previous job experience getting you a good starting salary. The people are great, in some areas, but some leadership definitely needs some TLC

Working overnights and holidays was something new for me. While I enjoyed working with students overnight and holidays, I miss getting sleep. The pay is okay but definitely need a second job to survive, unless you're single and don't have mouths to feed, then it's pretty okay. Working holidays is a must so if you thought you could kick it with friends and family on the 4th of July, Day after Thanksgiving, etc....forget it. 

Management on the other hand, micro-management at that, is at its worst. Favoritism runs deep within and nitpicking on certain employees is also an issue. Keep in mind all the time that you are being watched through state of the art cameras and yes it will be used against you, you will hear derogatory comments about you or others and no one is willing to do anything about it or say anything about it. 

I like most of the people I work with on other shifts, definitely like the overnight shift people, but I am ready to branch out and try new things. And I really dont like being watched every step of the way and feel like its now a chore to come into work, with the anxiety of whether or not I may or may not have a job the next day.

Typical day is assisting undergraduate students with lower level programming classes. I help students with projects - ranging in difficulty from hello world to recursive knights tour - and help them prepare for exams by going over finer points of programming and generally being a resource for students.

I learned of and filled in any blind spots of my knowledge of these programming languages. C's picky syntax is a good example.

Don G Vogel and Norma Richardson were who I reported to, both very good management worked hard to create satisfactory schedule for all tutors.

Co-workers were generally acquantances from classes at the same academic level as me.

Hardest part of the job is either when I get a student that really struggles/is intimidated by computers - patience is key here. Or when tutor room gets flooded with students and I have to help 4+ students at once.

The most enjoyable part would probably be conversing with co-workers during down time, some co-workers have more experience in 'real-world' was beneficial to talk to them.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Research assistant 7 salaries reported	$32,929 per year
Student assistant 9 salaries reported	$13.11 per hour
Graduate researcher 9 salaries reported	$27,067 per year
Teaching assistant 10 salaries reported	$2,230 per month
Student worker 29 salaries reported	$12.41 per hour

Working at University of Texas at Dallas: Company Overview and Reviews

University of Texas at Dallas

University of Texas at Dallas Ratings

Popular jobs at University of Texas at Dallas

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected