Engineering Computer Network - Went from relaxed and fun to weird and difficult quickly
Pros
Generally good benefits. A good 8-5 with flexible hours. Mostly general help-desk style work, but also more complex and stimulating research problems. Many of the faculty and staff are wonderful people to work with and have great insight into many topics. This makes supporting these users fun and interesting. Other than your on call rotations a few times a year you can leave work knowing work stays there.
Cons
Overall you have to play games to succeed (get raises or promotions) or suck up to management. The structure is really built up for such a small organization. ECN has 60-70 people across 3-4 groups. With a large percentage in UDS. The number of managers is disproportionate in UDS and becomes a case of too many cooks very quickly. You're not rewarded for any technical proficiency or even your ability to interact with users to provide good quality support. Finishing the most tickets is the only metric that matters in the end, even if the items are all super simple.
