assistant professor

personal trainer

tutor

assistant director

development director

Western Carolina University

I speak for Academic Affairs, because I had worked for them for three years while completing my undergraduate degree.

Academic affairs is a pleasure to have worked for. For three years I built relationships that have propelled me into graduate school and beyond, but most importantly they have challenged me to grow professionally and personally. My director had become a second parent, constantly adjusting her schedule and mine so that my academic success would always come over my work time. 

My director took the time to grow along side me. New software, technology, or challenges were never left to just one person, but instead became a learning experience for all, which resulted in a very relaxed yet productive environment. Yes, deadlined had to be met and the numbers had to grow, but working never felt like a competition or a time crunch. The most rewarding parts of the job were seeing the fruits of your labor in the responses of students to events or good news. However, where there are highs there are also lows. The hardest part of my job was when our technology would glitch, or an email would be sent to the wrong server by accident, and then hundreds of students would be left confused or without information. However, these too became learning experiences for the entire department, and at the end of the day we were all able to leave knowing the the issue was sorted, and that it wouldn't occur again.

I learned what being a good coordinator, a good mentor, and a good friend looked and acted like, and it's those lessons that I will carry with me. My coordinating and event planning skills increased, my multitasking skills doubled, and my problem solving skills went through the roof. Western Carolina is a student-first employer, and my director embodied that through her leadership roles, as did many other directors. Advising, MAPS, and Student Transitions have been the best people I have ever worked with.

I absolutely loved working for my University! I was able to live where I worked, it was something new everyday, the residents were a lot of fun as well. I worked with first-year students and I loved that every year I got a brand new group of residents to guide, help, and plan programs for. This position is the epitome of teamwork and time management. My co-workers and supervisors are some of the best people, no matter the situation we lifted each other up, helped out if one was having a hard time or needed ideas for planning, etc. It is such a positive work environment, its contagious! 
I learned how to balance work and my social life while earning two degrees, juggling multiple jobs, and a sorority all at once. The most important thing I learned was how to find the positive in every situation especially when it came to having to submit reports to the Department of Student Community Ethics about a resident's or group of residents actions, calling the University Police, EMS, etc. then trying to make them understand that it was not anything against them, it was simply that they made a bad decision that resulted in these consequences. Overall, my experience as an employee for Western Carolina University was amazing. I loved every second of it and would encourage other college students to get involved with their University!

Not a great environment and wouldn’t recommend working here.  The work culture is toxic around campus. I worked in Athletics and it was a terrible experience. Do not expect to move up in your profession or receive pay increases. The only raise myself and others have gotten for the past 10 years was state mandated. It’s a beautiful place and there are good people but the leadership is not good. Good luck finding somewhere to live. Groceries, gas, and everyday essentials are so expensive. The university doesn’t pay what it cost to live there. Also, Don’t expect to have any kind of support. Human Resources was a joke. It’s a small community so unless you make a huge deal of something they don’t care about your experience or if laws are being broken. Depends on your area but you will most likely work overtime or after hours with no compensation. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to work here. Save your time and energy. Find a company that encourages growth, work life balance, and provides support. Majority of Faculty and  Staff are bitter and don’t take their job serious. It’s hard to find a dept on campus that is positive to be a part of. DEFINITELY don’t work there in Athletics under the current AD.

A typical day in my position consisted of a lot of sitting and streaming on google or twiddling my thumbs trying to bypass time. I was only useful whenever others did not want to do the boring parts of their job, or if they did have too much going on, they would give me the most boring task out of their list to do. Nothing I could learn from or benefit from to move up in the company with or move somewhere else. 
Communication sucks. I was not apart of any important meetings regarding department decisions, was not involved in any after work gatherings on campus for events, was not included in on any important changes within department, which let me know I was not valuable. 
There was nothing learned from this job that I can put on a resume to take with me anywhere. 
Hardest part of my day was showing up, sitting there wasting 8-9 hours of my day. 
We have no breakroom, so when you "take a lunch" you drive to town, waste 20 minutes one way, or you sit at your desk, so youre never away from your desk for 9 hours.
They do not support "your" personal life balance issues, but will gladly excuse themselves 6 times or more a month for "their" personal life issues that they have going on.

I learned many interpersonal skills from my years at western Carolina. Being an Resident Assistant allowed me to flourish with a respect for respect system. Students are hard to work with but if you show them a level of respect they will respect you back. As an Resident Assistant you are entrusted in creating a safe work environment for all residents in you're building. Not only do you facilitate discussions in roommate and personal conflicts but you patrol the hall ways 4 times a week in order to deter wrong doing.
The hardest part of the job was managing school work, a personal life, and the RA job all at the same time. Being a resident assistant requires that you make yourself available for students even when it may not be the most appropriate time. The best part of the job was the community, residential living at western is very outgoing. This creates a very positive work environment. My supervisor was very understanding knowing that i am not only an employee but a student who is very busy.

Typical week: afternoons - help run practice and occasionally start team laundry. Thursday night of road game week: practice, then pack the equipment truck. Friday: travel to away facility and set up. Saturday: game day, then travel back to school. Sunday: unload and wash/dry/put away laundry and equipment.
What I learned: think on my feet fast, make smart decisions without other people's input, hold yourself accountable to get things done. Be flexible, don't take everything personal, and have passion for what you do.
Management: Head Equipment Manager, Assistant Equipment Manager, then myself, then 3-4 underclassmen
Coworkers: all very hard workers. dedicated and very easy to communicate with.
Hardest Part of the Job: long hours and still maintaining high grades and somewhat of a social life.
Most Enjoyable Part: having an entire week when nothing bad happens and seeing underclassmen learn the same things I learned 2 years ago.

This is a great place to work. The pay is not great and raises are far and few between (sometimes 4 years, depending on the state budget and GA) but the university itself is wonderful. The faculty and staff are great to work with and the opportunities for advancement are great as long as you are a male. For the most part Management is great, but upper level management seems unapproachable and not friendly or concerned about lower level employees. The new Chancellor seems to be setting a new standard for upper management and I have seen some changes in that overall attitude (Dr. Belcher is great and brings great attitude and energy to WCU). The Culture is laid back and easy going like the mountains WCU is located in. Job stability is phenomenal and health benefits as well as health activities and promotion on campus are wonderful. I expect even greater changes to come for the university, as upper management continues to adopt the Dr. Belcher attitude. 

When I took the job as Head Women's Basketball Coach at WCU, the program had only won 2 conference games in the previous 3 years.  The program had never really been competitive going back to its inception.  With half the scholarships of the other Southern Conference teams we competed with (Furman, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Marshall, East Tennessee State, Wofford, Davidson), we were able to compete and win conference games.  I was frustrated at WCU because we were never on a level playing field with the other conference members.  I also felt like I had reached the proverbial 'glass ceiling' being a male coaching female athlete, because at that time, the movement to hire female head coaches had begun.  Coaching at a Division I school is challenging, tough, and stressful.  It is a 'back-stabbing, 'what can  you do for me today,' type atmosphere.

I really enjoyed working as a driver and honestly found it to be one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had. What I loved most was the independence — being on the road, managing my time, and interacting with different people every day kept the job fresh and interesting. I also appreciated how structured yet flexible the work could be, which helped me stay organized and efficient. Customer interactions were often positive, and it felt good knowing I was helping people get where they needed to go safely. The experience also strengthened my communication, responsibility, and problem-solving skills, especially when dealing with schedules, routes, or unexpected situations. Overall, it was a great role that built my confidence, improved my time management, and gave me a strong sense of satisfaction. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys driving, independence, and meeting new people.

WCU has a rural/local culture, and is closed to "outsiders", except for the students that fund the university - because they need them. I found that much of the staff is married or related to one another, so it was difficult to make good business decisions based on those politics. Backdoor meetings exposed a racist, homophobic, and (ironically) an uneducated narrow mindset culture. State regulations were often ignored and "worked around", because regulation this far off the grid in NC is difficult to track properly. Senior Staff will lie and throw you "under the bus" to cover their own mistakes, as they need to preserve their job image and also maintain the only job they can possibly have in this region. Do yourself a favor, and stay away from this toxic culture. It was the most miserable experience in my entire 25 year professional career.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assistant professor 3 salaries reported	$73,841 per year
Personal trainer 5 salaries reported	$41,704 per year
Tutor 3 salaries reported	$11.00 per hour
Assistant director 3 salaries reported	$45,359 per year
Development director 1 salary reported	$37,784 per year

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