Pros
1. Pretty good pay and conditions, overall for what youre doing. Super is great, work life balance is great, most managers pretty reasonable people and dont expect hours and hours of overtime. It can depend on the area though. 2. Higher education institutions are increasingly focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This is a good thing and makes POC better positioned for advancement. 3. Most ppl you work with are really smart. That is encouraging as sometimes the internet makes me worry for the world, but working with highly educated people is pretty inspiring. More the academics than the other staff though lol, although some of the managers are pretty switched on and not just corporate zombies. 4. The students are great. Very keen to learn when they are engaged, athough covid has changed their behaviour but the campus vibe seems to be coming back.
Cons
1. Can have limited career progression: Higher education institutions in Australia can be hierarchical, with limited opportunities for career advancement, especially in non-academic roles. Promotions may be competitive and dependent on factors beyond performance, such as budget constraints or institutional restructuring. 2. Tight financial environment, competitive funding, lack of international students means there is no money. This means it can be hard to justify extra spend on things even when management do wasteful things all the time. that can be realy frustrating. 3. Bureaucracy is real. Like government, worse in some ways. better in others. 4. Split btw academics and professional staff. Sometimes management only care about research income and what the academics have done, and even then teaching is less important. 5. You have to do all your PD yourself, if you get it approved. Not mich is freely offered. Staff members may face challenges in accessing training, workshops, or conferences that could enhance their skills and career prospects.