From School to Work to Working at School?

torgosan asks: "After years of school and many years of toiling in the corporate world and being laid-off in one of the seemingly perpetual down-sizings [my former company was employee-owned until a corporate buyout a few years back, after which point it all went downhill - a mini-Enron, as it were, including crooked execs, cooked books, SEC investigations, the whole mess], it appears my days of joblessness may possibly be coming to an end. A small university near my hometown has an opening that has my name written all over it. This is all still early in the process and the offer hasn't come yet but that's not stopping me from researching the target city, moving expenses, cost-of-living comparisons, living arrangements, etc. Taking the position would mean a sizable pay-cut but I need to get back to doing what I love to do and this seems to be 'it'. What I haven't been able to find, though, are the insights into university employment and how it compares to working in the 'real world'. This would be a staff position working with other staff and professionals and with some interaction with the student body. So my question for you uni workers out there is: What sort of adjustment should be expected? Is the uni workplace as structured as the corporate world? Pet peeves? What are the politics like? I ask as I attended a commuter-school with little campus life and have little to draw on for perspective."

Comments

the old cliche

[AgtSmith]

I hate to say the old term but: "Those who can do, those who can't teach.." With that said the some of the best IT people are out of work and the is some great talent walking around with no where to go. I personally would choose the Academic world over the Professional world for the following reasons: 1. Tenure. 2. People in your department actually know what your talking about. 3. Not having to tell the VP of Accounting why you need a new system and him telling you to spend only $40 bucks. 4. super-computer (ex. Virginia Tech) 5. Development of new "toys" (Defense Contracts) So over all My choice would be higher education.

Re:Rules to live by

[Old Uncle Bill]

3. Lots of smart people
Smart in an intellectual way, not smart in a "this is how the world really works" way. The old adage, those who can't, teach, is at least partially true (yes, I said partially).