Pros
A lot of people are playing the position out to be a whole lot worse than it really is. Honestly, I think its all about perspective. If you feel like a salesman, you are going to come off like a salesman, have less success, and hate this job for being a sales position. Management is great. Very understanding, really tries to work with you. They do set "goals" which can feel like quotas but realistically, if you do not meet these goals but are still putting forth the effort they are looking for, you are still praised. Benefits and pay are great. I have no degree and only retail and food service management experience. They tend to hire based on personality and your ability to build relationships with strangers. There is really a heavy psychologically aspect to this job and the interactions you have with students. But honestly, it comes from such a positive place. Many of DeVry's students are looking to go back to college to improve something in their lives because they are now working adults looking for reliable online education with a flexible schedule to suit their lives. It is very different than a role at a traditional campus or a public college where majority of your students are high school grads. You have to be able to encourage these adults who have often not had the best experiences in life. This is always easier to do when you have the right perspective about the job. It can be challenging to get personal with a stranger and to keep them motivated on moving forward in their lives and pursuing their education without feeling emotionally exhausted in this role. But those students who are successful appreciate the push you gave them and that feeling is rewarding enough to continue doing the job!
Cons
Since moving to a fully remote environment back in March 2020 due to Covid, I will say, a lot of the management team focuses on nitpicking and monitoring calls. This can make it feel like they are micromanaging and can raise your anxiety on talking to future students as well. That being said, management is always very open to feedback provided its organized and thoughtful and not just complaints. We are also told very often that its not about numbers but is more about changing lives. That being said, we are led to feel like we failed when the numbers do not meet our "goals". I think this is improving with time as well but honestly, at the end of the day, this is a privately run college and incoming money is important to grow our staff and business. I have told prospective students that I did not think it was a good idea to register them without clearance from financial aid and have been supported by management in doing so.
