Can some one here please share their CA (community advisor) experience. Is it worth it? Does it hurt you acedemically? Is it hard to come back home on weekends?

Please share

Thanks

I think that being a CA is an awesome experience. It is unlike any other job which is out there. I think that it was completely worth it, as I developed a lot of new skills throughout the year.

In terms of academics, it really depends on the person. It is all about time management and being able to balance school work, CA work, and other things which are important in your life. For me, my marks stayed fairly average with the previous year.

In terms of time off, you do get to come home on weekends if you wish. You just have to schedule not to be on coverage that weekend and then let your residence manager know. I would say that I came home ever 6-7 weeks but I could have came home more often if I wanted to.

There are also other ways to get involved in residence. If you are living in residence, you can become a FLIRC with the IRC (inter-residence counsil) and then run to become a IRC rep for the next year.

Originally Posted by sycoman

Can some one here please share their CA (community advisor) experience. Is it worth it? Does it hurt you acedemically? Is it hard to come back home on weekends?

Please share

Thanks

My CAs told me to apply to be a CA and I said noooooo. After everything I heard from friends who were CAs, all I can say was I'm really glad I didn't.

If you read this article, it covers some things you should consider if you are taking the position in the fall.

I know I was never a CA, however, they work really hard. If I went out one night when I came back at 3 am they were still working. The thing about being a CA is that it seems to be a 24/7 job unless you go home that weekend or completely hide out. As an IRC Representative I still had students coming to me with their problems. However, if I didn't want to solve it (which I did anyways) I could've just shipped them off to their trained and well rounded CAs. Being a CA isn't always fun and games. I constantly had students telling me how much they hated their CAs for giving them majors or not supporting them through a situation. It's a very demanding job. It's not cut out for everyone. I've been fortunate enough to know some INCREDIBLE CAs though. If you think there's a slight chance that you might not be really good for it I don't think you should. You have someone's first year experience in your hands.

Wow, I'm glad someone asked this. I'm excited to rant about this.

I FREAKING LOVED BEING A CA THIS PAST YEAR. But like someone before me has mentioned, don't do it unless you're really sure that it's for you. It's a lot of work, I'm not going to lie, and unlike normal part time jobs, where you can come home at the end of the day and not work any more, as a CA, you LIVE where you work. You are essentially a role model to your first year students 24/7.

That being said, I can quite honestly say that it was one of the best jobs I've had in my life. The Res Life Staff team is amazing, and I met some of my best friends at university during the job. We had a ton of fun, and we were friends as well as colleagues. I can't even begin to sum up all the amazing memories we shared from august training until the end of the year. It was beyond worth it. My students were pretty amazing too, and yes, you have to deal with them differently than you would your friends but you are well trained to deal with difficult situations and you have your entire staff team and management team to help you through difficult times.

I'm a second year Engineering Physics student, and I'm pretty sure that I have a pretty heavy course load. Working during the school year actually brought UP my grades from first year. Having to set deadlines for yourself and knowing that you don't have endless amounts of time to do things, definitely helps your time management skills.

Think about whether or not you want to do it. There were a lot of late nights, a ton of paperwork, and some weeks when I just wanted to give up and pretend that the thumping bass down the hall wasn't happeneing/drunken first years weren't there because I had a midterm the next day and couldn't deal with it... but all in all... I know working on staff last year made my university experience better. really hope I get a chance to do it again.

I hope that answered your question!

Oh, and in terms of coming home for the weekends... well obviously you won't be able to be home EVERY weekend (except in exceptional circumstances, I assume) but you can ask for certain days off.

You're only on coverage several times in a month, depending on the building. I was in Les prince last year, and it was an average of 7-8 coverage shifts a month, some of which were weekend shifts. Technically, I could have gone home every 3 weeks, although I didn't, but that was a personal choice, not a job obligation.

I was offered a ca position and I seriously can't decide if I should go for it. why is it that a lot of the ca's don't reapply?

There are a multitude of different reasons.... some (like me) have only ever lived on campus throughout their university experience and wanted to try something different. Some may have found working through the school year to be a challenge. Some graduate, or get other campus jobs.

While the majority may not reapply (I don't know if this is true or not) I can say that the majority do enjoy their experience and would recommend it to others.

If you are going to turn down the offer, do it sooner rather than later. People who didn't get the job go on the waiting list and expecting someone who has already made plans for the following school year to up and join RLS two weeks before training is stressful for both the team and the individual.

@ Geek: I wouldn't say the majority enjoy their experience and would recommended it to others. If that was the case I would know a lot more people who were a CA for more than one year. There is CA turnover because many people do not enjoy the job, and for a multitude of reasons.

That's why so many people quit during the school year too. Two years ago there was one res where both of the H's quit, as did half the staff team. It was a staff team of twelve, and they lost at least six people between September and February...and that is not the first time that has happened in the history of RLS.


@ sycoman: talk to people who were CA's last year; and talk to a lot of them. There are close to 100 students who choose the job every year. Many of them make groups on Facebook. Also, make sure you talk to those who were on your area team; as you want to know what their relationship was like with the RM; who will be your boss too.

I would say that it really depends on the year in terms of how many staff reapply. I know that for last year, there weren't a lot of returners, and I am not sure how many staff are returning this year, but I know from my area team of 20 staff, 9 staff are returning. So it really depends.

And I would also say that a lot of people do enjoy their experience as a CA and I know that I have, and a whole bunch of my Co-Ca's recommended other people to apply. Not enjoying the job is not the only reason why staff do not return.

Lorend, I hadn't heard of that story. I should have said "the majority I know enjoyed their experience and would recommend it to others." I still haven't heard much to suggest that people quitting during the school year is common. I'd say that its the exception, not the rule, but I could be wrong.

I was a CA for one year, and I chose not to continue this year for personal reasons, not because I didn't enjoy the job, as did most of the Cas I knew personally.

from what i've heard:

Pros: building good relationships with, and mentoring first year students, excellent leadership experience, place to stay + a salary, RLS friends, DC++

Cons: the residence bubble, relative inflexibility in work, sometimes have super long hours, forced to adhere to Residence Code of Conduct; obligating you to participate in disciplinary processes, paperwork x10 (coverage reports, incidence reports, etc etc.)

it's a great experience for many, but it truly depends on your personality. if you are a person who wants the job for the place to live, or a person who wants the job to write up kids, you need to pass on the offer for everyone's sake. if you are a person who genuinely wants to help students, and will enjoy the social interactions, and can live with the restrictions, then it's a good job.

lored, i pm'ed you