Hi, Marisol! As we did with Curtis, let's start by your reacting to some of the same questions that Alicia answered, as below.
1.) Describe your path to your current position. What led you to make the choices (staying for an extended time) that you did? Were there any triggering factors that motivated your choices?
2.) Think of a difficult situation that you've faced in your career. How did you respond to it? Would you have done anything differently if you could have?
3.) What would you say are the keys to success in the field? What do you like most about the work and what do you like least?
If there are other points of advice you'd like to offer, feel free
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to participating in this blog with you all. I will share everything I possibly can remember with you, be as candid and open as possible. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about my postings. I warn you, I will likely blog the way I speak – please don’t judge me. ;)
I will begin now by answering the first question Dr. Miller has posted:
ReplyDeleteThe path to my current position takes us back about 7 years. Picture it, Spring 2003, USF, Holly North RD apartment (I watched a lot of Golden Girls when I was at USF, bear with me) - I received a call from my first choice school for my first professional RD position - University at Buffalo, offering me a job. I know what you are thinking - BUFFALO? Why Buffalo, do you know how cold it is up there? Actually, I did. I grew up in NYC and at 26 years old I packed up and went to Tampa for grad school. A couple of months after I got there, the Towers were hit at the World Trade Center and my world was rocked in a bad way. I did not lose any family in the tragedy, but that sole event determined my job search criteria for the next year - North Carolina and north was the area of the country I was focused on. I knew I had a need to be closer to my family after that. Buffalo was only a 50 minute flight on JetBlue and they offered the most money actually. Just keeping it real people.
I learned that yes, Buffalo was cold - but I learned a lot while I was there working at a large public university. As I started my second year at Buffalo (Fall 2004), I began to do research looking at job postings of jobs I was interested in to determine what skills and experiences I needed to pick up because I had intended to do a job search the follow spring (Spring 2005). That’s when I found a - Assistant Director of Training and Development at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. When I saw this job description, it read like my dream job - supervising professional staff, coordinating training and selection for RAs and working with upper class res halls. The icing on the cake - 30 minute drive to my parents’ house! Planets don't typically align themselves up like this. I printed the job description and in my next one on one with my supervisor, I told him about my research and showed him the position description. He read it and said, "You are totally qualified for it." Then he might have cussed a little, but then gave me his blessing and told me I should apply. I applied, got the job and left Buffalo, my RA staff mid-year. Leaving my staff was one of the hardest things I did. I knew I also owed it to myself to advance and do what was going to be good for me. Leaving your staff gets easier as you get more practice -when they are students it’s always harder though.
More to come...
As I was saying...
ReplyDeleteI loved my job at Seton Hall - I learned a lot there. I would say I matured as a professional staff member there because I was part of a mid-level management team. I enjoyed my role as Assistant Director of Training and Development because I had high student contact and I felt as though the work I did made a difference somehow. I also learned some lessons that we could not learn in the classroom about office culture, supervisors, etc.
While I was at Seton Hall I was promoted to the Associate Director position. In my new role, I learned that I was a buffer – I interpreted what was shared with me and learned how and when to share with my Director. It was a balancing act. While I was the Associate Director – a friend who worked at Mercy College, told me, “You know, you should send me your resume. The people here will be looking for some Res Life people eventually.” She was talking about a Director role for their small residence hall (200 beds). I had been in my position as Associate for about 8 months. I figured it would be a while and I would be able to be in my role for at least a full year before they would come around to a search process. Long story short – I was asked to come to campus to speak with someone about a position. Okay, I’ve been talking (virtually for a long time now, but if you pay attention to anything – PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!) I accepted what turned out to be an interview on campus. During this meeting, I was asked no questions about the work I did or why I might be qualified for the position they were thinking of for me. The majority of the meeting was spent talking about what they, Mercy, were all about. They were trying to sell me the position. They did not really interview me. It was as though they had made up their minds and wanted me in the role based on my resume alone. They were also vague about some of the questions I asked. I was intrigued about this position and excited about the possibility of being able to lead a res hall program – these were the shiny objects which clouded my vision. Yes, I said clouded my vision. After serious deliberations, consultations with colleagues outside of Seton Hall, at Seton Hall, and with my family, I took the job at Mercy.
I learned while I was there that it was not a very good fit. I took my first mental health day off on my month anniversary. I often refer to the fact I was “raised” in Student Affairs. I also believe that I was raised the right way in student affairs. I was unable to utilize the skills, knowledge and experience I had acquired being “raised right” in student affairs while I was at Mercy College. Everything in my being said this was not the place for me to be, it was a bad fit and I needed to get out. I began a new job search in the summer and hoped I would get a job soon. Ultimately, I had a situation with my supervisor which helped me make the decision to resign. I gave my three weeks’ notice and was unemployed for three months before I found my current job as Assistant Dean of Campus Life at New York Institute of Technology.
There had been a few different factors which had motivated me for the choices I made regarding my career moves.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started out, I was not in a relationship so I was not tied to a particular region. My main goal was to move closer to my family because I had learned after the September 11th tragedy, they are my core and it was important to me. I had decided that I would look from North Carolina and up. Pretty much stopping at around Connecticut.
After my first position at Buffalo, my father became ill and we knew that it was a matter of time before his illness took him. So when I had intended on doing my search in the Spring of my second year at Buffalo - I was going to concentrate on downstate New York. When I found the position at Seton Hall, I could not be happier because it was so close to NYC I would be able to visit with my family as much as I wanted without having to take vacation time.
The next big move I made was when I moved in with my fiance who lives in Long Island. After commuting first to NJ for work (2-3 hour commute on public transportation) and then to Mercy in Westchester (1.5 hours in car) I knew my next job would have to be on Long Island. I was fortunate to have found a job fitting that criteria.
I had never had a serious restriction on where I looked for a job until I got engaged. This was when I realized that finding jobs when you are locked into a locale/region can be difficult. Sometimes you will have to think about taking a position which you may not have originally been intersted in, but may need to due to the lack of open positions in the functional area you are interested in.
When I first did my search, I learned about a website which helped me to understand what I needed to feel comfortable in whichever town/city I moved to - it was called, www.findyourspot.com. It was a rather lengthy questionairre but it was well worth it. I learned that I enjoyed living in the suburbs but I needed to be close to a city so I could visit often. I would encourage you all to take a look at the site.
As I move forward, I know I will not move around as much. I will likely stay longer in my current position. This will be new to me and I will have to be sure to look for new challenges for myself in my position to keep it fresh. I also see myself getting involved in the regional organizations to help keep the energy going.
2.) Think of a difficult situation that you've faced in your career. How did you respond to it? Would you have done anything differently if you could have?
ReplyDeleteI faced the most difficult situations I have faced in my career very recently. It was when I was in Mercy College.
I had taken a position as the Associate Director of PACT/Residential Life - this is what my business cards read. PACT - stood for Personal Achievement ContracT - it was a program designed to assign a Counselor to each incoming student who would be with them the four years they were in college. The Counselor was responsible for ensuring the success of the student. S/he was to be cross trained in the areas of academic advising, financial aid, career counseling and residential life - essentially, all of the student service office on campus. The PACT Counselors were supposed to help eliminate the middle man/person for students because they would know their students situation well enough and be able to direct them to the appropriate person, make a call on their behalf, etc. It sounded like a great program.
The other part of my title was the Residential Life - I essentially was the Director of a 200 bed residence hall. I spent the majority of my five months there doing nothing but Res Life.
I had a dual supervisory line - one for PACT and one for Res Life. I spoke with my Res Life supervisor considerably more than my PACT supervisor because of the amount of work needed to be done in the Res Life office.
A situation arose with my Res Life supervisor after we had opened our Residence Halls. I was called into her supervisor's to give him an update on things in the residence hall after a disasterous opening. Tensions were high and parents and families were not pleased at all with the school. My supervisor's boss was really hands on with everything after this. In giving my update, I shared information with him about my staff being unhappy and he asked me what would help to appease them. I had given him a suggestion and he told me to go ahead with it. I shared this info with my supervisor right after I had the conversation with her boss. She was not happy with me and accused me of going over her head. In a subsequent conversation I had with her, she told me that if I ever went over her head and undermined her authority, "I was going to have problems". It was at this time I knew something had to change. There were many things I did not agree with when it came to the way Mercy did things, but I did not think that it warranted me quitting or looking for another job because I knew that a different school meant a different culture and manner in which things were done. This, however was not about culture at all. This was about human decency and respect. After that phone call I got up from my desk made a call to my fiance, told him what happened and then told him I had to resign. I then called my friend who got me the "interview" with Mercy, told her what had happened and that I had decided to resign. She advised me to go to Human Resources to file a complaint. That is exactly what I did and then went to my Res Life supervisor's boss and resigned. I gave them three weeks notice.
Prior to this incident the work environment was less than ideal. I did not agree with many of the decisions made at Mercy and I did not feel that my experiences and skills were utilized effectively. Despite this, I figured I would be able to continue to work there for at least a year, at which time I would look for another job. I was concerned about having a blemish on my resume. I decided to resign after the incident with my supervisor because I did not want to work in an environment where my supervisor thought it was okay to make threatening comments to me.
ReplyDeleteBefore I had the incident with my supervisor, I had called Dr. Miller and told him about my experience at Mercy. He had advised me to not leave a job until I had another job to go to. This was really good advice that I did not follow. I was unemployed for three months. It was difficult but I managed, with the help of loans from family and my fiance.
Would I have done anything differently? I can honestly say no. I learned a lot from this experience. Until Mercy, all my work experiences had been really positive experiences. I had always felt fortunate, especially after hearing from my friends about some of their bad experiences. Also, one of the things which would bring me solace on a bad day there would be that I knew I was getting the best lesson of what "not to do". In that respect, this was an invaluable experience. I also feel that had I not worked at Mercy, I would not have had the opportunity to work at NYIT. In my current role, I am able to use the all of the experiences I learned in Res Life. Now I have the opportunity to work with New Student Orientation, FYE programming, judicials, volunteer programs, multiculutral education and sophomore experience. Ah, yes the many hats we wear in student affairs. :)
Things might have been easier for me financially if I had stayed at Mercy but it would also have been really stressful and emotionally draining.
3.) What would you say are the keys to success in the field?
ReplyDeleteI feel one of the keys to success in this field are maintaining the connections you have now with your cohort. Everyone will likely get jobs throughout the country and each of you will have a different experience. Learn from each other. Share your stories. And most importantly, keep in touch.
Antoher key to success is to be reflective. I find I tend to get caught up in my daily work and do not think take the time to think about what I do, how it affects those I work with or for whom I am providing a service to and what I can do to be a better professional. Thinking about the conversation you had with a student, or how you can better work with a colleague, or how you can become more involved in the field outside of your office are key to continued success. Don't become complacent with what you are doing - if you do a great job with a project one year, don't just duplicate the next year - bring it to higher level, a bigger and better standard. Everyday - think about what you do, why you do it and why it's important to you.
Another key to your success is remaining current with readings. You may be sick and tired of reading now, look forward to reading for leisure again after all the work you did the last couple of years, but reading professional journals, articles and books are essential for your continued development. The learning will not stop once you leave the CSA program. One way to keep with the new books that come out is to go to the Jossey-Bass website and request a catalog be sent to you. Or just visit the website periodically and look through the higher ed section.
Also, do not underestimate the power of the regional organizations. There are great opportunities to be had by attending regional drive ins and conferences. They are also a great vehile for you to begin to present, if you have not already done so, and to collaborate with colleagues at neighboring institutions.
3.) What do you like most about the work and what do you like least?
ReplyDeleteBefore I began working in Student Affairs, I worked in financial services. It was not a very fulfilling job. When I decided that I needed to make a change, I knew one thing for sure - I wanted a job where I could make a difference.
That is the best part of the work I do. I feel that I am contributing to the world in a small way through the conversations I have with my students. There can be a lot of administrative work that needs to be taken care of in our jobs, but the things you cannot quantify - the meaningful conversations, words of encouragement, educational conversations about choices - that is what fuels my passion for the work I do. I know I'm making a difference.
What I do not particularly like about our work is the lack of understanding about what we do. When I got my first professional job as an RD, my parents didn't understand what I was going to be doing. I explained it to them by saying, "Ma, I'm like a super of a building - except I care about my residents." Sometimes I wish our work was more mainstream - that people knew there are Master's and terminal degrees in our field. I want more street cred for Student Affairs. But I figure, as long as I'm in the field, I will do what I can to get the word out.
Unsolicited advice from Marisol:
ReplyDelete1. When you get your first position after USF - be sure to make friends in other departments and preferably off campus if you are a live in/on professional. You will need an outlet outside of work. Take a class, go onto MeetUp.com and find people who have similar interest as you. You need a link to the outside - by this I mean outside of your job.
2. TAKE YOUR VACATION!!! Plan days off - random days off in the middle of the week. Look at your calendar and figure out when it is going to get crazy for you and take a day off either before or after the craziness. Keeping balance in your life will only be a priority if you make it one. It is your responsibility to do this no one elses.
3. Go for a counseling session one day for a check up. I say this because my former counselor told me she saw a lot of people in their 30s (I had gone in my 30s) because they were dealing with things they didn't deal with in their 20s. We manage a lot of stress and emotionally deep issues with our students. We tell them to go to counseling for check ins, we should to. It's like a phyical - except for your heart and mind.
4. Save money!!! Bank at least 3 months worth to cover bills. You never know when you will find yourself unemployed.
5. Keep in touch with Dr. Miller. He is a tremendous resource and mentor. He has a wealth of knowledge and I am not ashamed to say that I am jealous you all get one on one time with him. I miss those conversations with him. Periodically send him email and give him updates on how you are doing. I know he appreciates them, and one day, when you get those emails from your students you will understand why. And just for the record - this is not a blantant suck up! Dr. Miller is a great Student Affairs professional and I feel I am truly fortunate to have had him as an advisor. Keep in touch with him because he always finds time for us CSA-ers. Cause he's that good.
Should anyone feel they would like to contact me after the class for advice, to bounce an idea off another colleague, here is my contact information:
ReplyDeleteMarisol Ray
New York Institute of Technology
Campus Life Office
516-686-1155
mray02@nyit.edu
May the schwartz be with you all in your job search!
Hi Marisol,
ReplyDeleteMy name is D.J. Pollock, and I am currently working as the graduate assistant for outdoor recreation, riverfront park, and challenge course at USF. Like the rest of my cohort, we are looking forward to graduation occurring in just a few weeks. In regards to your posts, I have a few follow up questions if you wouldn’t mind answering.
What was the most exciting part of finishing the CSA program and starting your first professional job in student affairs?
At any point along the way, during employment or even your unemployed months, did you consider heading towards positions or jobs outside of the student affairs field?
You mention getting the word out about what student affairs is since there is a lack of understanding in our work. What are the ways you are able to do this in your current position at NYIT with non student affairs employees at the institution?
Thanks for taking time to give us all some insight with what we have coming in the near future!
Hi D.J.,
ReplyDeleteAlways willing to answer questions!
The most exciting part of finishing the program was walking at graduation - when I graduated from undergrad, I knew in my heart I was not done, so I was really excited when I got my Masters. I knew that I had found what I was looking for professionally. You could say I found my professional lobster claw - that
s a Friends ref for those of you who are confused. :)
The most exciting part of my first professional position was leading a large staff. When I was at USF - I had a staff of 4-5. When I got to Buffalo, I had a staff of 16. It was a lot to juggle but I knew it was going to be a great experience. And it was! Learning how to work with a number of different personalities and work styles was a challenge, however, I feel that I was able to learn how to read people better and adapt my style to their needs.
Yes actually I did. I believe that Student Affairs is one of the 3-4 careers I will have in my life. It's the second one right now. Because the work we do is not compensated appropriately, there have been days when I fascinated about going corporate again. But I knew I would not be fulfilled in that work. The thought of starting over in a new sector seems daunting to me right now, because it may require more education and starting entry level which may mean a pay cut. I am not in a position right now to do either. What I know for certain is this, there is path set out for me, and when I am meant to take a new journey it will be clear and evident to me and I will be ready for that trip. Right now, I'm not ready for a trip. ;)
I think I may have confused you a bit with regards to the work I do at NYIT - I am still in Student Affairs - I'm an assistant dean in their campus life office. Though I may work at times with those not in the field, we all work at a college and our first and primary reason for our work regardless is to help our students. So getting the word out to non student affairs staff is not necessary here really.
Glad I could give a little insight. Much success to you!
Hi Marisol!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Whitney Smith and I am currently a GA for Conferencing and Special Events. After reading your post, I felt so comforted in the fact someone else has shared an experience of not being happy at a university and leaving earlier than planned. I worked full time as the Assistant Director of Residence Life at Saint Leo University for almost a year when I realized that I couldn't work there any longer. It is comforting to know that leaving a job early, you still have hope in getting a new and even better job.
I have a couple of follow up questions in regards to your post.
1. (This one is kind of silly but I am just curious.) Did your parents ever begin to understand your passion for the field and the jobs you took?
2. In regards to future job searches for yourself, is your fiance understanding of the fact that you may have to look outside of where you all would like to live?
3. How have you explained to future employers the length of your jobs and even the gaps? (I have the same problem!)
Thank you so much for your sharing your experiences with us. It was definitely helpful to me because I believe I have shared some of the same experiences!
WOW!! Thank you so much for this insight, Marisol! It has been a pleasure meeting you through this blog. By the way (BTW), my name is Brittany Stokes.
ReplyDeleteThere are many life changing transitions that are about to take place for me; the best part about this is that everything will be affected by my chosen place of employment, but the worst part about this is that I cannot prepare for this transition (which with affect my finances, family, friends, business, hobbies ect.) until the best part happens. While I am waiting, my only option is to hope for the best while preparing for the worst (at least 3 months of unemployment).
Although I currently feel like I am mentally stable to stay in the eye of the storm, I know transition advice from someone who is a current professional will help contribute to a sigh of relief.
Could you reflect upon a difficult transition process that you experienced and provide insight on how I can best prepare and cope during times of uncertainty?
Hi Whitney,
ReplyDeleteGlad I brought you some comfort. We sometimes are reluctant to share our bad experiences with one another for fear of maybe being seen as having failed. I do not think this is the way we should approach these situations. We should take the viewpoint of how can I learn from this not-so-great experience? What can I take away from it that will make me better in my everyday work?
To answer your questions:
Yes, my family did begin to understand my passion and were/are my greatest cheerleaders. This happened in part because I would share stories with them about the work I did, experiences with my students, and whenever possible, I would invite them to see what I did. Once they see you in action, they will be amazed. :)
I am fortunate to have a great person to share the rest of my life with and he has always been very supportive of what I do and my work. One thing that is different about him though is he is a lawyer, so the gears have to shift for me. I need to be more understanding and flexible of where I look for jobs because in order for us to move, he will have to get barred in a new state. We have talked about it and I've told him, the only other state I would move to is Florida - so I told him start studying for that Bar! :) But if a really great opportunity came up, I know he would support me and get barred in a new state as needed. I will say this, everything you all learn about communication and conflict resolution can be used in your personal lives - don't forget!
I explained to them that I learned after a few months that Mercy was not the best fit for me and I did not feel I could support the institutional goals. If they continued to ask questions, I was very careful not to bad mouth Mercy, because our field is ridiculously small and word gets around. I would let them know that the manner in which upper level administration made decisions and directed me to do my work encroached on me maintaining my professional credibility and I decided it was time to leave.
Hi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteListen, you need to breathe for a minute! Yes this time in your life will be life changing/altering but it is such a wonderful time as well! Uncertainty will follow you in this life - everywhere you go. You can't always plan for things in life, sometimes you will need to figure out a plan as you are in that eye of the storm. But I will give you some solace - the work you have done in your assistantship and in the WONDERFUL CSA program has equipped you with a tremendous skillset to Adapt, Improvise and Overcome as needed. You will do just fine. And if you get stressed out you, you can call or email me and I will tell you again to breathe ;).
My most difficult time of transition was when I first got to Florida for the CSA program. I was a thousand miles away from everyone and everything familiar to me. I had no car, had just gotten my license a week prior to getting to Florida, had no friends in FL, there was no FaceBook and this was all before cell phones! So I couldn't text or call on a whim for a pep talk. Eventually, once I let my guard down, I met some great people who I still keep in touch with to this day - who I was able to confide in when I was down/lonely/sad/homesick. They have been great friends to me. The other thing I did to help me was to demand - that's right I said demand - my friends or family to come visit me. I would get an itch to either go home for a visit or have someone come see me about every 2.5 months. And they were great, they always came. Being in Florida was also helpful - everyone was willing to visit!
One thing I did not do during this time that I would advise you to do is to get involved in a class, group, church as soon as you get to your new location. This will provide you with an outlet and an opportunity to meet people outside of work. A couple of places to consider - www.meetup.com - not like Match.com - it's for people who have similar interest to get together and do what they love eg. rock climing. Also, in your new city, google for a young professionals organization - they usually have socials and networking events which help you get connected to your new area. You can also ask co-workers to show you around and introduce you to other colleagues in your Student Affairs division.
Ultimately, you will be fine. You survive this transition and excel. Have faith and be confident. It will wall work out for you.
Thanks for your transparency and advice Marisol :) You're great!!
ReplyDeleteHi Marisol -
ReplyDeleteA few quick questions:
Do you think that your problems at Mercy might have been identified a head of time if you have gone into the campus visit understanding that it was to be an interview?
Also if you knew ahead of time what might you have done differently, if anything?
Thanks for taking the time to respond to us.
BTW I love your Spaceball's reference.
Hi Marisol!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your insight and advice, it's always great hearing advice from alumni =)
I'm Kelsey San Antonio a Graduate Assistant for the Student Government Association at USF.
I just had a few questions to ask, if you don't mind offering some of your wisdom =)
I am really close to my family, and in a serious relationship, but both my family and my boyfriend are bound to Florida. I'm open to moving, just a little nervous (since I've never really been far away from home).
My question is, if I choose to stay in the area, do you feel that this may hinder the possibility of advancing in the field? Now that you see yourself settled in one area, if you chose to job search again, do you feel it would be more difficult to find a job to suit your needs/wants?
Any advice you can offer would be great! =)
Also, I loved the website you suggested, I really got to explore via website possible locations for moving!
One more thing, I absolutely love how positive you are about things! Your advice to constantly reflect and view every encounter, good or bad, as a learning experience is empowering...especially as we go through this journey of job searching!! =)
Good Morning mweibley (sorry but I did not have your name),
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question of whether the problems I encountered at Mercy could have been identified ahead of time if I had gone to the campus visit understanding that it was an interview - yes and no.
There were some read flags that I should have paid more attention to, but did not, such as their vague answers to many things that should have been standard. The lack of information the person who interviewed me had about the residence hall and my responsibilities there. I may not have explained it well enough but I had learned last minute that it was more of an interview - so I had some questions for them, which I asked. However, I think I was blinded by the possibility of directing a residence hall and being apart of potential construction of new residence halls in the near future. This is what I equated that interview to - you go on a first date with someone and you REALLY want it to work, so you take a second date and you hope that it will get better, and then you rationalize that it's not that bad. That was Mercy. With regard to the situation with my Res Life supervisor - she was not included in on my interview process. I was hired and then introduced to her. Yeah, there were problems I should have seen but I saw Mercy as a way to shorten my commute (which was 2.5 hours on two differnt trains) and to gain more experience (which I did - on what NOT to do in your professional work). I will say this about the whole Mercy experience - when I am now faced with challenging situations/incidents at work - like your boss blowing off a meeting you have with her and not being told - I just let it roll off my back. My feathers don't ruffle as easily anymore. :)
If I knew ahead of time about what Mercy was really like, I may have been more hard pressed with the questions I asked them and may not have taken the job in the end. But as I've said before, I feel that Mercy was part of my journey - I was supposed to be there to learn about myself, our work and I probably needed it so that I could chill out a bit. I can be very passionate about things sometimes and it is not always taken the right way. Mercy taught me to chillax more. ;)
Morning Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments! :) Made my day!
To answer your question of whether I feel that your choosing to stay in the area would hinder your possibilty of advancing in the field - No. Florida's got great schools and are strong when it comes to Student Affairs. If this is what is going to be best for you then stay in the area. You don't have to be swayed by those doing broader searches. Your job search is a very personal thing - you need to do what will be the best choice for you. Consider this, knowing how close you are with your family and being in a committed relationship - how do you think being away from them for extended periods of times would affect you and ultimately your work? You have to know that when your heart and your mind are not happy - it shows and may ultimately reflect in how you do your job - poor performance will hurt your chances of advancement - not staying close to home. If it works for you, then do it!
To be perfectly honest with you Kelsey, my wants and needs have changed since I did my first job search in student affairs. Then my focus was on my education and career - I've shifted gears and right now my focus is on my new life with my fiance and hopefully in the future our family. We all have goals in our lives, you know? I achieved the education goal I had set for myself and I am very happy in my current position and can see myself here for long while. If it turned out that I had to do antoher search and could not find something that suited my needs/wants, I would do the following:
1. Not leave my current job until I found a new one! Essentially, follow Dr. Miller's advice - cause he was soooooo right!
2. Consider getting into a different field which interested me and determine if I needed more or different education to break into that field.
3. Know that the path I am meant to follow will present itself to me when it is the right time for me to begin the journey and not anytime sooner.
Advice I would offer you Kelsey is to listen to your heart - when you have no doubt, you will know you have made the right choice. No one will know what is best for you other than you. Have faith in you and your decisions - you will find where you should be.
One more bit of advice I thought about today during a meeting this morning...
ReplyDeleteThere has got to be an aspect of the work you do in your functional field that you are not really excited about or is the last thing on your list to learn about/do. This is what you should become most profient in. Don't like budget - be the first one to volunteer to work with your department's budget. Do judicials make you cringe? Ask for a to work with the person who coordinates your institution's judicial process so that you understand it inside and out. Does assessment make your head hurt? Then it's time for you to learn everything you can about it and how you can use it to improve the services you offer your students and improve your processes!
Marisol, thank you for all your advice! Now I just need to figure out a balance between my heart and brain! Can't I have my cake and eat it too?! JK
ReplyDeleteAnd we also really appreciate you sharing the extra advice you've given! =)
Hope you have a great end of the semester!