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Columbia University

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Unless you are a librarian do NOT work for Columbia Libraries! - Web Developer Columbia University Employee Review

2.0
13 Aug 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The tuition benefits are the best part of working at Columbia. Especially as they cover your kids (school, Columbia, and even other undergrad colleges) your spouse can earn an undergrad degree too. Master's Program are good if you don't have one already but there are only a few part-time degrees available and they are not always ones that you are interested in and are somewhat mixed in as far as actually value of education and teaching. Vacation is very good with 23 days as the standard starting amount. The health Benefits are good with a wide range of choices and optional vision and dental Plans

Cons

Incompetency of leadership especially in the upper echelons of libraries. The 'Peter Principle' is in full effect here. The are also a lot of lifers here, unmotivated and incompetent people can eek out a long and fruitless existence with the bureaucracy. This is problematic if you work or even need to deal with them. Managers are too often picked for their subservience over their leadership abilities, vision, management skills or general competency. Salaries tend to be very poor and those involved in the budgets are very cheap and do not understand ideas of value of bottom line especially when it comes to investment in technology.

Explore other reviews about Columbia University

5.0
3 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

friendly, helpful, support, great work culture

Cons

high demand, stress, pressure, adminstrative

1.0
29 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The benefits and work-life balance were generally reasonable.

Cons

The Internal Audit department was one of the most disappointing work environments I have experienced. Columbia promotes a culture of collaboration, trust, and support, but that was not reflected in my experience. Leadership micromanaged employees to an excessive degree, especially on work-from-home days. If you stepped away from your computer for a few minutes, it felt like you had to justify your whereabouts. Rather than encouraging employees to learn and grow, management often made people feel foolish for asking questions or not knowing something immediately. The atmosphere was stressful, morale was low, and trust between leadership and staff was virtually nonexistent. I would not recommend this department to anyone seeking a supportive or professional work environment.

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