A great place for your career to die - Systems Administrator Penn State Employee Review

2.0
Aug 13, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You do not have to perform, so if you want to coast for the rest of your career look no further.

Cons

Lots of legacy management appointments with little to no expertise in dealing with people. Not diverse, but the University is great at hiring mediocre people for middle management. The motto is We Are Penn State but that does not translate to workers. Many people are looking for their big opportunity because they have realized that getting your name in front of a lot of people is the only way to be compensated appropriately and/or move ahead. This creates a culture of people taking credit from colleagues or limiting their potential for recognition or advancement. It also causes some employees to finger point at others instead of taking accountability for their own flaws. The organization is a master class in how to make yourself look big while keeping others down. It has all the negative hallmarks of an extremely conservative organization. Many projects go over budget or under-perform because middle management isn't thinking about the impact on students. There are vendors that are literally double charging the University or doing horrible work and they still have contracts with PSU because they've been there for a long time. The University does not view students as their #1 stakeholder but as a bank account. Look at schools like Rice University that use their endowment to create scholarships, I have no idea how PSU utilizes it's endowment.

Explore other reviews about Penn State

5.0
Apr 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits- 401K, great Health, Dental ,PTO is great

Cons

none- not a lot that is wrong here. Maybe bigger yearly raises just because of the economy.

1.0
Feb 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- If you stick it out, you'll earn a degree - The teaching within my dept was solid - Typical student benefits (gym, buses, library, etc.) - Occasional travel for conferences

Cons

- Your experience largely depends on your advisor, cohort, and your relationship with them. Some will thrive with hands-on mentorship, some will struggle with absentee advisors. - There is barely any recourse in cases of advisor neglect or abuse. The department will almost never reprimand a professor as long as their group is productive. - Overwork and under pay is the norm, not the exception. Whether explicitly or implicitly, the system is designed to get as much value as possible from the grad students and kick them to the curb when it's done. The career center was largely useless for PhD's and you are far from guaranteed from landing a job even with the degree. Proceed with caution.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All