What I Gained by Switching Jobs to Become a University Staff Member

In my previous article, I wrote about what I lost.

As I mentioned in the conclusion of that piece, changing jobs is an act of gaining something, but at the same time, it also means letting go of things you previously took for granted.

So, what did I actually gain by switching to a university staff position?

It is not all things that can be neatly categorized, but looking back, there are certainly several sensations that have changed.

This time, I will write about that a bit loosely.

I suspect that reading this might make more people want to become university staff, but please keep in mind that this is based solely on my personal experience and should be taken as a reference only.

Also, since the situation varies depending on the university and department, you should avoid having excessive expectations.

1. The feeling of 'no longer being pushed around by work'

What confused me when I switched to being a university staff member was that the sense of the 'weight' of work was quite different from what I had known before.

Well, that is to be expected since it is a job change (laughs).

Without fear of being misunderstood, compared to my previous job, it means that the difficulty level of the work has decreased.

Of course, that does not mean I am belittling it, nor do I ever cut corners or look down on it.

When I stand at the service counter, I am required to make decisions on the spot, and there are normal situations filled with tension where mistakes are not permitted.

However, even so, what I still feel is that 'the quality of what I am carrying is different'.

In my previous job,

• A single decision could lead to a major loss • Numbers and results were always directly linked to evaluations • Work was heavily influenced by external relationships

there was always a sense of being on edge, such as:

Compared to that, university work is,

• The scope of influence is limited
• Most tasks are completed within the university
• There are few situations involving extreme risk

These are the characteristics.

In other words,

It feels like working within a range where things can be 'fixed' if something goes wrong.

However, this does not mean you can do things half-heartedly.

Still, it is certain that you do not have to be constantly on edge.

And this difference also affects how I work day-to-day.

Instead of pushing myself unnecessarily by thinking 'I can still do more' or 'I can refine this a bit more' like in my previous job,
it has become easier to decide to draw a line at a certain point and go home.

The same applies to taking time off; because it is easier to foresee the workload, I can take leave without difficulty.

As a result,

the feeling of being driven by work has faded significantly.

To put it another way,

perhaps I should say that 'the feeling of being pushed around by work or worrying about it has decreased.'

This feeling is hard to understand until you actually start working here, but it is one of the most significant changes I have gained since changing jobs.

② Being able to accept 'unobtrusive work' as it is

University staff work has an aspect where success is taken for granted.

In other words, if no problems occur, that is fine.
That is the expected state.

In my previous job, I was driven by the anxiety that if I kept doing the same thing, rivals would steal the market or overtake me, so I launched new products and systems one after another and sent them out into the world.

Because the results were easy to see by doing so, the evaluations were also easy to understand, but now there is not much of that kind of clarity.

However, that does not mean my motivation has dropped; it is a little different.

Before I knew it, I had started to think about 'whether I will be evaluated' and 'what I need to do' separately from each other.

3. There are days when I can say 'that's it for today' with peace of mind

This might be the most obvious change since changing jobs.

At the end of the day, there are truly many days when I can clearly draw a line and say, 'That's it for today! Time to go home.'

It may seem obvious, but it is a feeling I rarely had at my previous job.

At my previous job, I feel like most days I left the workplace with a sense of guilt, as if I were being pulled back, thinking there was still so much to do but I was just too tired.
Perhaps it was so normal that I had become numb to it.

Of course, there are busy times, but every day is not like being in overtime.

So, when I first changed jobs, I was really taken aback.

'Is it really okay to go home already?'

I leave work and walk to the station while it is still as bright as day outside.
I feel very restless...

What should I do until dinner time...?

I had never thought about that before, so it was a shock.

It took me quite a while to get used to such a walk home.

But just having this boundary has dramatically changed how I interact with my work.

The peace of mind that comes with having an 'end' to the day's work was a very important point in enriching my life.

(4) A way of working where you can 'predict what's ahead'

University work has a somewhat fixed annual flow.

Entrance exams, open campuses, final exam periods, accepting new students, various events, and so on.

Roughly the same waves come at about the same time every year.

In other words, you can 'predict' the busyness.

And these waves don't change unless something extraordinary happens.

This is surprisingly significant.

In my previous job, I was in a state of 'not knowing when things would calm down,' so just being able to predict what's ahead makes a huge difference in the mental burden.

I think this is the essence of why university staff work in a comfortable environment.

Just being able to think 'I just need to get through this' makes things much easier (it made things easier for me).

I touch on this topic of 'waves' in another article, so if you are interested, please take a look at that as well.

Reference)

Because I can read the waves, it's easy to plan trips and take time off. This is truly something I'm grateful for.

(5) Being able to accept 'times when nothing is happening'

This was a somewhat unexpected change.

There are periods when work settles down, such as during the students' long vacations.

It really does settle down. Especially when I was in a department that dealt with students, students wouldn't come to the counter, so more than half of my regular duties would be cut.

Since I have free time, even if I try to get ahead on future tasks, there are some things I simply cannot do because the start dates for tasks involving other departments are fixed.

The most I can do regarding these tasks is to think about them and prepare in advance.

At first, I struggled with how to use my time during these periods.

This was because I couldn't shake the anxiety of thinking, "Shouldn't I be doing something?"

However, I gradually got used to that environment, and I no longer feel uncomfortable with the fact that there are times when nothing is backed up.

Rather, having that margin allows me to notice gaps or flaws in my work that I usually overlook, and it has also become a precious period where I can spend plenty of time with my family.

Realizing that "being busy at work equals one's value to the organization" not only changed my perspective on work but also became an opportunity to rethink how I want to live my life.

6. "I have come to be satisfied with the 'balance' between my work style and my salary"

It's not something I should say too loudly, but I will write it honestly here.

The salary at the university where I work is, I think, standard for a private university, but it is not "very high" by general standards.

However, even so, for me right now, I have the feeling that "with this way of working, I am fully satisfied with this salary."

That is the feeling I have.

Before changing jobs, it was the other way around.

• High volume of work
• Unpredictable overtime hours
• Many sudden tasks

Even then, I feel like I was working without really knowing if the salary was worth it.

On the other hand, now,

• There is a clear distinction between busy and quiet seasons
• Work is predictable
• I am not in a state of constant extreme pressure

This is the way I work now.

For example, there was a time when work would settle down during the students' summer break, so I would only go into the office two or three days a week in August and September.

When I looked at my pay stub on days like that,

it is a fact that I sometimes felt,

'Wait, I get this much for this?'

Of course, I don't mean to say that the work is easy, nor that there is no responsibility involved.

But at the very least, the frustration I felt at my previous job,

'I'm doing all this, and this is the pay I get?' has disappeared.

This was a major change for me personally.

As a result,

I no longer feel strangely bothered by the balance between labor and compensation.

In fact, there are even moments when I wonder if it's okay for me to be paid this much.

The 'vague sense of discomfort' that used to be somewhere inside me has now faded significantly.

This 'feeling of working with a sense of satisfaction' might be even greater than the numbers themselves.

However, a word of caution!

This is a feeling I have because I changed jobs, meaning I am someone who came from the outside as a mid-career hire, and since regular staff members take this level for granted, I think their perspective is different from mine.

I believe that outsiders who cannot accept that difference in perspective will eventually become frustrated and exhausted...

7. 'Not minding business trips'

This is entirely a personal feeling, but I will write a little about it.

There are various types of business trips, such as traveling to regional cities for entrance examination duties, visiting other universities, attending joint training sessions, participating in academic conferences, or accompanying students.

In my previous job, it was taken for granted that you would bring back results from business trips.

Because of that, travel allowances and transportation expenses were provided, so I had a strong impression of it being a burden, but now I don't feel it as heavily as I did back then.

If anything, it's lighter.
I want to go on business trips.

When I think back to the grueling overseas business trips and exhibition management trips in my previous job, there were several times when I thought, 'Is this level of content really considered a business trip?'

It also depends on the nature of the work, but I was surprised at how different the same 'business trip' could be just by changing the environment.

I have a real sense that the stress and anxiety I had in the past have definitely decreased.I can't say that too loudly, though...

I can't say that too loudly, though...

8. The sense of security that 'it will work out in the end'

What I feel while working at a university is that it is, in a good sense, an 'environment that is hard to collapse.'

For example, when I was in the private sector,

• Projects would suddenly stop due to the circumstances of business partners
• If sales weren't met, it would directly affect my performance evaluation
• The work itself would disappear due to changes in the external environment

There were many situations where I was at the mercy of 'factors I couldn't control myself.'

On the other hand, as for university work, of course, it's not that there are zero problems.

Irregularities can occur when dealing with students, and coordination with faculty members can sometimes be difficult.

However, even so,

• Much of the work is completed within the university
• Ultimately, decisions can be made within the organization
• Coordination can be done
• It is rarely overturned by extreme external factors

It has these characteristics.

For example, even if I am unsure about how to handle something,

• You can consult with your supervisor
• You can check past precedents
• You can coordinate with other departments

Because these kinds of "escape routes" are properly in place, as a result,

I have the feeling that "it is difficult to end up in a situation where nothing can be done."

For those who are particularly considering a career change, I think you might be worried about the anxiety of work piling up or the burden of being solely responsible for tasks, but I perceive university staff work as "work premised on being supported by the organization," so I feel it has a sense of stability.

However, I will add a supplement here as this is easily misunderstood.

This does not mean that the university organization itself is stable for the future.

There is certainly an impact from the declining birthrate, and competition between universities is becoming more severe every year.

It is also a fact that there are universities in difficult financial situations that are on the verge of closing.

What I want to say here is simply that "at the level of daily operations, the structure is such that it is extremely difficult for things to fall apart."

This "sense of daily security" and the "future prospects of the organization" are separate issues.

Being able to think about both of these separately might be one change.

It is not flashy, but I feel that this sense of security is quite significant when working for a long time.

If you are interested, please take a look at this as well.
Reference)

Conclusion

Looking at it all laid out like this, I deeply felt that I am really glad I switched to a job at a university.

The "things I gained" are not easy-to-understand skills or achievements, but rather things where my feelings and premises have changed little by little.

However, these changes are definitely accumulating, and their effects have gradually brought "leisure" and "richness" to my life.

Of course, it also affects the way I work itself.

And naturally, these are things I gained in exchange for the "things I lost" that I wrote about last time.

The peace of mind gained precisely because I let go of speed

The sense of satisfaction gained precisely because I let go of meritocracy

I think which one is better depends on the person.

However, at the very least, my current way of working is established in a form slightly different from what I had imagined before changing jobs.

I hope this will be helpful, including those aspects.

If I have the opportunity, I would like to think about whether someone who has switched to a university staff position has the prospect of switching jobs again (or is able to).

Thank you for reading until the end.