I work as a staff employee at the university library. I expect there are a lot of similarities to working at a smaller company or for the government.
Here are some specifics, some good, some bad:
- Schools have a certain vibe. The campus where I work is absolutely beautiful. Being around students can be invigorating to some extent.
- I can take classes for free. I took a MS in CS course last semester.
- Compared to small companies, the university I work at is very well-known. I considered the name recognization on resume a minor plus.
- Compared from Silicon Valley, it feels like being a big fish in a small pond. I'm given something close to carte blanche as far as most technical decisions.
- There is a weird dynamic between "faculty" (needs degree) and "staff". Lacking a Masters in Library Science is a REAL limitation if you'd like to do any sort of work in an official capacity that's not purely technical. Even our UX people need MLS degrees.
- The pace is astoundingly slow. For example, there is a vended software solution the library wants to subscribe to, and the process of choosing a vendor is expected to take 5 years. Almost nothing is considered a matter of urgent importance.
- It seems exceptionally hard to get fired here, partly I assume because deliverables are so lax.
- The interview process was super weird. There was no coding. There were hours and hours of "Describe a time when..." type questions. I think this is meant to reduce bias in the hiring process or something, but I hate it honestly. I can't imagine trying to hire another engineer and not being able to see their code. If another role on my team opens up, I plan to fight like hell to get at least a basic coding task on our interview protocol.
Comments
I work as a staff employee at the university library. I expect there are a lot of similarities to working at a smaller company or for the government.
Here are some specifics, some good, some bad:
- Schools have a certain vibe. The campus where I work is absolutely beautiful. Being around students can be invigorating to some extent.
- I can take classes for free. I took a MS in CS course last semester.
- Compared to small companies, the university I work at is very well-known. I considered the name recognization on resume a minor plus.
- Compared from Silicon Valley, it feels like being a big fish in a small pond. I'm given something close to carte blanche as far as most technical decisions.
- There is a weird dynamic between "faculty" (needs degree) and "staff". Lacking a Masters in Library Science is a REAL limitation if you'd like to do any sort of work in an official capacity that's not purely technical. Even our UX people need MLS degrees.
- The pace is astoundingly slow. For example, there is a vended software solution the library wants to subscribe to, and the process of choosing a vendor is expected to take 5 years. Almost nothing is considered a matter of urgent importance.
- It seems exceptionally hard to get fired here, partly I assume because deliverables are so lax.
- The interview process was super weird. There was no coding. There were hours and hours of "Describe a time when..." type questions. I think this is meant to reduce bias in the hiring process or something, but I hate it honestly. I can't imagine trying to hire another engineer and not being able to see their code. If another role on my team opens up, I plan to fight like hell to get at least a basic coding task on our interview protocol.