Pros
I love working at ACC primarily because it’s meaningful work. The students are wonderful and we all do what we can with the resources provided to facilitate an equitable and quality experience for them. The staff are exceptional and often go above and beyond to help students in any way possible as are the faculty. There are many people exceptional academic, continuing education, workforce, and adult education programs that make our community a better place.
Cons
There are endless frustrations and disconnects when it comes to upper level administration. ACC is run by the middle men and below for the most part - those getting paid the less and who are student facing. Administration makes it difficult for departments to get the resources they need to perform basic duties. Most staff is not paid livable wages given the cost of living in Austin. There are typically yearly raises but they are half of what inflation rates are in this climate, therefore employees are taking a pay cut each year. Ask anyone what their AVP’s typical day looks like and they would give you a blank stare. Lots of tedious tasks just to complete daily work. But again, the students are great as are my fellow coworkers. The benefits are average for full timers. Adjuncts or hourlies receive no benefits. Facilities are “favored” - some campuses have a plethora of updated resources for students and others are left in the dust with outdated technology, furniture.