The people who work and serve in the ASUW are some of the most passionate, involved, and dedicated students I've ever met and it was an honor to work alongside them. The ASUW's energy and community make coming into the office every day something to look forward to instead of something to dread. Also, choosing your own schedule, making your own hours, and having the opportunity to engage directly in servant leadership are all benefits to working for this association.
What I wish was different
Working in such a fast-paced and high-demand organization, some things fall between the cracks and priorities are shrugged off in place of new ones. One thing I wish was different in my time here was a more intentional approach to long term strategy and goal attainment; at times it felt like moving one step forward and three steps back or simply not making any progress in exchange for handling the day-to-day little fires.
Advice
Those who succeed in this association are dedicated, passionate, mature, and proven leaders. Though ASUW serves as an amazing learning opportunity and a sort of test field for exploring your own leadership style, real success and progress comes from demonstrating and practicing maturity and professionalism through both the administrative and interpersonal aspects of any role.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Communications Director
June 2018 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
I enjoyed being able to work with other student leaders on campus who wanted to create and support various changes and improvements on campus. In my position, I got to oversee and manage various projects in both the creative and technical realms, as well as help produce official statements on behalf of the association. I learned a lot of tangible and soft skills that I can bring to my next career after college.
What I wish was different
Advice
2
${count} people found this helpful
General Manager
September 2018 - June 2019 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
I liked the diversity of work and the freedom to develop different initiatives.
What I wish was different
I wish more students knew about ASUW and the different opportunities to get involved; that outreach is part of our daily work, though.
Advice
Spend time shadowing the people whose positions you might want to apply to. That way, you can get a good sense of what their work/workplace is like.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Student Disability Commission Assistant Director
September 2018 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
Working for ASUW provided me an incredible opportunity for networking, taking leadership of my own projects, and learning team management skills. At this stage in my life, it's difficult to imagine finding another job with a comparable level of independence and self-motivation. It's an awesome job for a college student... not to mention a lovely office space.
What I wish was different
ASUW has high turnover, since the standard length for each position is only a year. This sometimes means that transition between employees can be tricky, so the first few months of the job are usually just scrambling to figure things out. I would have been able to get a lot more accomplished in the first quarter if there were a clearer sense of direction, but that tends to be lost from year to year.
Advice
Document the things you do! Keep a clear record of the skills you gain, the projects you lead, the events you plan, etc. As the year progresses, you might start to forget what things you've accomplished thus far, so keep record of it for your self-evaluations later on.
