Job Responsibilities
I am the director of all curriculum development for a nation-wide
consortium, headquartered at a major university and funded by the
EPA. We do research into alternative fuel vehicles; develop
training programs for service technicians, owners, fleet
operators, and the general public; and conduct seminars,
conferences, and public events around the topic of alternative
fuels.
Some of our development is done in-house, the rest is outsourced.
My primary responsibilities include planning (10%), managing
projects (15%), supervision of staff and vendors (25%), reporting
and meetings (5%), attending/speaking at conferences (10%),
serving on committees (10%), and writing/editing course materials
(25%).
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Job Requirements
The program is directed primarily toward service technicians,
either with experience (in-service) or working toward a degree
(pre-service). It is not strictly an academic program, but it is
often part of a degree plan of study. The courses on alternative
fuels may be taken on their own (as an area of specific study),
as a major, or as a minor. They assume a basic level of
automotive knowledge, experience, and technology awareness.
As with most adult education, the classes are typically not
graded, although they are sometimes incorporated into degree
programs, in which case tests are administered. They may also be
part of a study program leading to certification as a qualified
or expert technician.
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Uppers
The best thing about this work is that it addresses a serious problem facing the
world today: how to deal with the high cost of petroleum products and the
politico-economic issues surrounding their acquisition and production, and with
the issue of global warming from man-made pollution.
It is exciting to be involved in a leading-edge technology, to be working with
people who are dedicated to addressing the problems I described above, and to
receive a great deal of public attention for our efforts.
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Downers
The worst thing about this job is being a university employee. In
West Virginia, that means that I am a state government employee
and am subject to all the restrictions placed on such employees.
For instance, although my program is federally-funded and
receives millions of dollars a year, my salary increases are tied
to what the state legistlature gives to other state employees.
Insurance coverage and other benefits are also very limited,
compared to what I received in the public sector.
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Lifestyle
I work very flexible hours, usually between 9 and 5 every day, but with plenty
of latitude. I travel on business, mostly to conferences, about six times a year.
My co-workers are dedicated to the value of alternatives to gas and diesel, and
we get along very well with each other because of our common interest and our
common dislike of the state employment system.
We generally wear "business casual" except when visitors are coming to our
facility, which is about three days a month. We do not have "casual Fridays" or
the like, again because we are state employees and not allowed to do so.
There are 20 people in my office; 10 are women and allare Caucasian, although we
have had two Indian staffers in the past year.
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Compensation
All regular state employees get a base salary, no bonuses or
other incentives, no stock options, and a standard set of
benefits. The cost of health coverage is variable, tied to your
base salary - the more you make, the more you pay. Pay raises are
granted by the state legislature: typically average 3% every 3
years. There is a "longevity" increase of 1% per year after 5
years.
There are four types of employees in this organization:
Managerial employees make between $50K and $75K, with at least
ten years experience before coming to this job.
Classified employees make between $20K and $35K. They are not
unionized, but they have a Classified Employees Association that
actively lobbies the state legislature on their behalf. They are
typically college grads, many have master's degrees, but most
have little or no work experience.
Graduate Assistants are doctoral students who receive free
tuition and a salary of $12K per year. They are eligible to
purchase health insurance.
Student workers are paid minimum wage with no benefits.
We also have temp workers and contractors.
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Advice to Jobseekers
My job, curriculum director, requires at least ten years
experience. A solid foundation in instructional design
methodology, along with real-world experience, are required.
You can best get that experience by working your way up from
instructional designer, learning graphic packages, publishing
software, project planning and management, and working with
contractors along the way.
There is a great future for alternative fuels, especially with
the current growing crisis over gasoline prices and conflicts in
petroleum-producing regions.
There is a solid demand for curriculum and training materials. An
advanced degree is a good starting point, but real experience
means everything in competing with other candidates. Concentrate
on one or two subject areas in depth, but try to have a broad
base of various subject matters, too. That way, you can translate
your specific experience and background into almost any job that
you might want.
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