[Tex/LaTex] topsep not working for itemize in longtable environment

Question

My CV uses longtable for each "experience" block, so for example "Work Experience" is one longtable, "Research Experience" is another. I now need to write a few lines of description to elaborate on some experiences and I want to use itemize bullet points. For the life of me I cannot get top space before the first \item to disappear. Tried enuitem, array, some other crazy stuff I just copied and didn't really understand. I can get the result I want by using a clunky local \vspace{-0.35cm} before every itemize list but that makes me want to shoot myself. I am obviously quite a TeX noob and do not want to change my CV structure drastically unless it's simple changes. Obviously required MWE:

\documentclass[letter,10pt]{article}
\RequirePackage[top=0.8in,bottom=0.8in,left=0.6in,right=0.7in]{geometry}
\usepackage{longtable}

\usepackage{titlesec}
\titleformat{\section}{\bf\large\scshape\raggedright}{}{0em}{}[]

\usepackage{enumitem} \setlist[itemize]{topsep=0cm, leftmargin=*}

\begin{document}

\moveleft.5\hoffset\centerline{Name}
\moveleft.5\hoffset\centerline{Address}
etc.

\section{Work Experience}
\begin{longtable}{lp{16cm}}

2013    & \textsc{University}, Location, NY \\
    & \textit{Position}, sub-center. \\ &
\begin{itemize}
    \item Conduct research.
    \item Manage people.
\end{itemize} \\

2013    & \textsc{University}, Location, NY \\
    & \textit{Position}, sub-center. \\ &
\vspace{-0.6cm}
\begin{itemize}
    \item Do stuff.
\end{itemize} \\
\end{longtable}

\end{document}

My local \vspace workaround works well, but is clunky and I don't want to copy and paste it all the damn time.

How do I get the stupid topsep space to disappear with a global edit? Why doesn't enumitem work???

Answer 1

In the \setlist should be declared length units, for example:

\setlist[itemize]{topsep=3pt, parsep=0pt, leftmargin=1em}

For reducing vertical space between itemize and text in the row before it, you can insert \vspace{-\baselineskip} start with itemize in above row:

\usepackage{enumitem} 
\setlist[itemize]{topsep=3pt, parsep=0pt, leftmargin=1em}

    \begin{document}
\begin{longtable}{lp{16cm}}
2013    & \textsc{University}, Location, NY \\
        & \textit{Position}, sub-center.    
            \begin{itemize}
            \item Conduct research.
            \item Manage people.
            \end{itemize}                   \\
2013    & \textsc{University}, Location, NY \\
        & \textit{Position}, sub-center.    
            \begin{itemize}
            \item   Do stuff.
            \end{itemize} 
\end{longtable}
    \end{document}

Far less problems you will have, if instead longtable you use description list:

\documentclass[letter,10pt]{article}
\usepackage[top=0.8in,bottom=0.8in,left=0.6in,right=0.7in]{geometry}
%\usepackage{titlesec}
%\titleformat{\section}{\bf\large\scshape\raggedright}{}{0em}{}[]
\usepackage{enumitem} 
\setlist[itemize]{topsep=0pt, parsep=0pt, leftmargin=*}
\setlist[description]{labelwidth=*, leftmargin=4em}

    \begin{document}
\section{Work Experience}
\begin{description}
\item[2013] \textsc{University}, Location, NY \\
            \textit{Position}, sub-center.    
        \begin{itemize}
            \item Conduct research.
            \item Manage people.
        \end{itemize}                
\item[2013] \textsc{University}, Location, NY \\
            \textit{Position}, sub-center.    
        \begin{itemize}
            \item   Do stuff.
        \end{itemize} 
\end{description}
    \end{document}

which gives: