Universities and Research Institutions

The many colleges, universities, and research institutions found in the United States offer a unique work environment. The advantages they offer include the satisfactions of pursuing knowledge and of providing a valuable service to society. College faculty and administrative personnel are more than merely staff. They are members of a community, and the social environment they work in reflects that. College and university employment also has the potential to provide free or reduced-rate tuition for you and your children, flexible work schedules, job security, and transferability.

The downside of working in an academic setting includes the hierarchy that marks many college and university communities. There is often a clear pecking order that favors faculty over staff and seniors over juniors. Some people learn to live with this; others find they can't stand it. Another source of stress at large public institutions is the occasional intrusion of politics into university operations, and (as with any large institution) the limitations imposed by a bureaucracy. The pay and benefits for college and university faculty and staff are usually fairly good but do not compare with what people who excel in the private sector can earn.

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