police officer

assistant professor

electrician

associate professor

program coordinator

Western Washington University

A typical day at work for me started at 4:25AM. Getting up was the hardest part, then vacuuming would start at 5. Work itself wasn't difficult- once you get into the zone, work would go by quickly, especially if you imagined your vacuum pack was a ghostbuster vacpak. I would vacuum several buildings with 2-3 other students and we oftentimes would divvy up which buildings and floors we would vacuum. Even though we would only vacuum for 3 hours- an entire work week is exhausting, especially with classes on top of it. My days would usually end at 7PM so I could wind down and fall asleep by 8:30PM.

The management was great! The manager I had was just the sweetest lady. She would bring the students snacks and everyday she would sit with us and give a little "pep talk" to help motivate us. The only negative thing I have to say about management, is that they put up with slackers too much.

(Some) of my coworkers are really what made this job easier for me. I had several fantastic coworkers that I know made this job way easier for me. However, there is always a flip side- if a student coworker didn't pull their own weight when it came to vacuuming, the rest of us students would have to pick up their slack. Unfortunately this happened often and nothing would be done about it (aka firing a student worker when they needed to).  Additionally university staff workers could make a big difference on the moral of the work team. My first year, I had a great crew! We all got along very well, and had good moral. My second year, I had a different crew which did not get along nearly as well. There was a great amount of complaining and just over all nastiness (being just plain mean to each other). Honestly, this crew is what made me leave the job a quarter earlier than I had planned. 

The most enjoyable part of this job was making friends with some awesome coworkers and hitting the snooze button on school holidays!

I enjoyed working in Western's kitchens, the workspace is large, well stocked and well designed. I did feel that there was a level of disorganization within many different areas however. The kitchen managers were great to work with and did the best that they could, but upper management seemed to get in their way quite often. 
It's worth noting that as a temporary contract worker they did not provide parking, which meant that you either had to pay for parking in one of their lots or park a distance from campus and either walk or take the bus. I worked early mornings before the buses ran, which made the commute much longer and more difficult than it needed to be.
We were furloughed over break, which was fine, but they laid off over 70 people with only day of notice however, seemingly without bothering to inform their floor managers. Employees arrived at the end of break orientation only to receive calls through the hiring company that they had received an email notifying them of the layoffs an hour before. When asked, management seemed confused and at first believed that this was a mistake. In the end they brought everyone into a side room and read off a list of people who still had a job. The lack of communication was appalling and despite a largely good work experience there, I would not work there again, purely because of that.
Shoutout to the recruitment company Aerotek though-- their team did a great job of keeping us up to date, attempted to find placement through their other contracts and even followed up with us weeks later to see if there was anything they could do. Throughout my employment with them they were very responsive and helpful, and I was impressed at how considerate they were of their employees. I would absolutely work with them again.

I found the University overall to be unorganized. My hire call was far before my start date and some important things were not set up prior to my 1st day. My pay and timesheet entry (an important part of a job) took far too long to rectify and set up. I was the one who navigated the set up of the important elements as an employee such as my id badge, payroll and timesheet setup. I was either overwhelmed with work or not busy. My particular experience as an employee was successful because of my overall past work experience and office management skills. I did not find my particular assignment to be a successful collaborative working environment. It is my personal opinion that too many of the employees and positions are so pigeon holed that you are not given the opportunity to help in other areas of departments that may need additional help while your sector is in it's slower phases. In fact, I felt that it was absolutely discouraged to offer helpful suggestions or try and help co-workers that were not part of my tiny team but part of my overall department team. I found the overall policy of the University was to hire overskilled employees for their job needs. The pay was not adequate for my skill set and expectations of job performance. I did not have an orientation as a temp and if it had not been for my past corporate work experience I would have not been able to navigate successfully the opportunities, benefits and information available.

As a Resident Advisor, your primary tasks are to build a community of students, oversee the safety and security of your area and give your residents the resources they need to be successful.  

There are a lot of easy things about the job - putting on fun programs, hanging out with residents, interacting with fellow staff members.  "Building a Community" can be tricky; you are trying to work with a diverse group of people, with their own individual personalities, needs, and goals - and in an environment that will only exist for nine months.  And really, going on nightly rounds isn't that hard - as long as nothing exciting happens.

The hard part is when things get "interesting".  Dealing with disruptive or disrespectful residents.  Handling underage drinking and drug use.  And there are times when people get hurt, both physically and emotionally.  With so many people going through so much in such a small area, stuff can blow up quickly.  

But you know you've done a good job when at the end of the year they are not just some students, but a group of intelligent, responsible, respectful citizens.

At a college, you would think that it would be a fun energetic place to work, but instead you are surrounded by petty office politics, super territorial people and a culture that's stuck in the 60s.

They abhor any changes to routine, even if it betters the office. They fire people who try to think outside the box. The longer an employee has been there, the more bitter and angry they are, and the more likely they are to start massive problems. I watched two long-term employees completely melt down during my short time with them, and everyone looks like they would rather be ANYWHERE else. 

Extra job duties are expected beyond what your job calls for. The pay is on the low side, and then you get dinged for union dues and an overpriced healthcare plan. I took home more as a temp (by a LOT) than I did as a permanent employee.

It made me hate my career of choice, and was the catalyst for me to completely flip my life upside down so I never had to work in that type of position ever again.

Working for Western Washington University was an amazing experience.

Everyone I worked with (co-workers and university residents) provided a unique and fun atmosphere to my job. Our mission was to help ensure the safety, development, and growth of the students of Western Washington University. 

The hardest part of the job was ensure a balance between work and school. Sometimes the position required long hours that impeded on academic responsibilities. However, both fellow employees and management were very helpful and supportive of maintaining high and exceptional performance in both the school and work setting; allowing me to ensure academic success. The efforts made by the team made this the most enjoyable part of the job. 

On a daily basis we would engage in remedial and social mentoring/counseling to facilitate the success of university students residing in campus housing. We planned and facilitated weekly activities promoting social, mental, and physical health.

Wilson library, located in the heart of the campus at Western Washington University, gave me my first shot at what would eventually become my career.  I will always have the deepest gratitude for that.  Working in an academic setting, surrounded by inquisitive and industrious minds, was a pure joy.  I still get nostalgic for the camaraderie I enjoyed there.  I worked in Circulation Services and Stacks Maintenance and loved every second of it.  I started as a student worker, shelving books, and by the time I left, I was functionally responsible for overseeing one of the two Circulation desks at the Library.  And Bellingham is a great city to call home.  It's big enough to bustle, small enough to care, and boasts a ridiculous wealth of outdoor activities.  If you like hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, skiing, and pooping around in public parks, I can't think of a more worthy candidate to recommend.

Everyone talks about doing things the "Western Way" as though it's a good thing, but it's because most of the staff graduated from Western, have never worked anywhere else, and are just punching a timecard until they can retire.
There are people who really care about the work and doing a good job, but they are a minority and if you're one of them you will be asked to do the jobs of several people for wages well under a living wage for the area and there is little to no possibility of promotion.
Health insurance is great and the benefits of working on a college campus like the gym and free classes are great.
The party line is that WWU is a great place to work and if you try and bring up problems or have a conflict with anyone or anything then you are labeled as the problem - gaslighting is the norm.
It's better than being unemployed, but expect your mental and physical health to suffer while working here.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Wellness classes offered to faculty/staff

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Parking, overly structured/rigid union work environment 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
A lot of employees stay far too long. The pension retirement plan for classified staff often ‘forces’ employees to stay beyond what is typical the modern workforce. Lack of turnover or advancement in so many positions can stifle creativity and innovation. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I live 3.5 miles from Western. Yet my day would start with an hour + commute due to the parking situation. Parking issues are at every university, but Western is the only univ. I worked at where you could not pay to upgrade your parking if you really needed something more convenient.

A typical day was a balance between classes and story assignments. Photographing and interviewing subjects while trying to make the grade.

I learned how to manage my time, write a story arch, photograph in various conditions and work under tight deadlines.

The professors and supervisors were all patient and willing to teach everything needed to be successful in the journalism field.

The co-workers were fun, full of great ideas and talent.

The hardest part of the job was balancing work and life. At times life took a backseat to getting the job done under the deadline.

The most enjoyable part was the ability to be creative daily and to see the effort as a published article.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Police officer 25 salaries reported	$7,528 per month
Assistant professor 2 salaries reported	$6,255 per month
Electrician 1 salary reported	$76,965 per year
Associate professor 6 salaries reported	$152,500 per year
Program coordinator 2 salaries reported	$3,649 per month

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