| Assistant Director, Experiential Education |
Texas A&M as a whole is a great employer. But, the Career Center there
is a different story. The two main Directors (Executive Director and
Director of the ExEd programs) in the Career Center are very nosey when
it comes to your private life (The executive director spoke with my
former director after I was in the position, and asked very personal
questions about my life...from that point on I was very uncomfortable).
Unless you are willing to spend every waking hour with them, they treat
you badly and look you over for projects and accolades. In addition,
the atmosphere is very cut-throat....which is ridiculous for higher
education since no one is getting paid very much and there is
no "negotiating" when it comes to raises/salary, etc. anyways...so it
makes it all seem just ridiculous. The atmosphere is way too political
and is full of insecure people...however, there are some great people
that work in the Career Center...but there are some very cliquey people
too...they smile to your face and then stab you in the back. The
problem though really lies in the management. Management consistently
plays favorites and doesn't realize that everyone sees it and knows what
is going on. Therefore, moral can be quite low at times although it is
one of the top Career Centers in the nation (well what else do you do in
College Station if you aren't working?)
Staff meetings can sometimes be a challenge since management takes every
opportunity to put you down in front of the other staff. There is a lot
of male bashing that takes place in this office and it is definitely a
pro-female, anti-male office.
Diversity of professional staff is non-existent. There is one african
american professional staff member and she is pretty much locked into
her position (they will not let her move up - the office won't that
is). It became very clear while I was there that management was not
open to diversifying the staff unless forced to do so. The rest of the
staff are all white. In addition, 98% of the staff are also former
students of A&M.
Dress code is typically professional dress except during hoiday periods
and the summer. You also will receive several office shirts that are
nice to wear on these days as well.
There are rarely opportunities for advancement since most people stay
there once they get there which is typical in higher education -
especially in the Career Services field.
And on a positive note, professional development is highly encouraged
and supported. However, don't expect any guidance from
management...they expect that you have everything already mapped out for
yourself.
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