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Caltech (California)

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Great Place - If You're in the Right Department - Manager Caltech (California) Employee Review

2.0
Feb 24, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Great retirement contributions - Wonderful co-workers - Good work-life balance if you're in the right department - Beautiful Campus

Cons

- It takes months to get anything approved - Annual Salary Increase barely meets inflation - let alone higher health contributions and more expensive parking year after year - Plan on making less net pay based on increased annual deductions - Low pay for many jobs because they use the national average rather than California average to determine salary - People work here forever, so they are uncomfortable with any type of change - Old, outdated processes of doing things - In my department severe lack of communication - Managers in my department hired their friends, not the most qualified candidates - My department required many people do tasks outside of their job. If it was addressed with your manager, the response was, "other duties as assigned." - Rarely any growth unless you switch departments

Explore other reviews about Caltech (California)

5.0
Jul 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You get to interact with many smart people

Cons

Dining halls should be better

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I really like the people I work with. Managers promote psychological safety and follow through with their commitments . My direct managers are interested in my growth and professional development. There are a lot of affinity groups to connect with. Overall a great community to be a part of. Caltech has good benefits and even mental health counseling available for staff.

Cons

Because the campus is lightly administered/decentralized, policies can vary a lot by department, which can make things really confusing for the initial period. However, if you’re open to talking to others and making connections, it can go a long way in helping you figure out how things work on campus. Another negative is that departmental culture can vary. Working as an admin in one department may be much more difficult than in another department.

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