by Jena Rock
@_jenarock
Ahh, February: a pivotal month in the lives of student affairs
professionals. Numbers have been reported from fall’s initiatives. Final edits
are being made on the upcoming fiscal year budgets before going in for
approval. Graduate students enrolled in the final semester of their higher
education programs are in the “home stretch” of their studies. This month is a
season of pause and reflection on what you’ve accomplished/contributed as a
#SApro and can also mean shaping next steps in your practice. For many, next
steps might mean reaching for that promotion/new title and for others it might
mean THE job search.
Fortunately, our line of work naturally creates ways to
encourage constant dialogue to share job opportunities, provide support, and
network. Job searching tends to be a common topic of interest for #SApros; especially
when speaking to grad students who are about to complete their program and
initiate their first job search. The conversation may go a bit like this:
Them: How’s the job search going?
Grad: It’s going well! I just started last month and
there seems to be some opportunities I could see myself applying for.
Them: Well what area do
you want to go into? Where do you see yourself working? Do you want to go large
public or small private? Do you eventually want to be a Vice President of Student Affairs? … The list
continues.
My approach as a career educator tends to not respond well to
this type of approach in conversations related to the job search. You could get
the title that you want at the school you want doing the exact programming that
you’d hoped for, and still feel that there is something missing. My preference
is to lead the conversation a bit more like this:
Them: How are you feeling about starting your job
search?
Grad: Great! I’ve already started looking at jobs
and have applied to a few in the last two weeks!
Them: I’m glad you’re feeling that you have a good
handle on your job search! What experiences have you had in your current role
that you’d like to continue beyond graduation? What lessons in your classes do
you think you will be excited to bring up in your work as a student affairs
professional? What moments have you felt that your work as a student affairs
professional contributed to student development?
The truth is, whether you are conducting your first, third, or
seventh job search, there are going to be others who will have questions for
you that might feel as if they are putting you into a box. If you are in the
mindset where you’re focus is on how others are defining your success as a
#SApro, I encourage you to take a moment of pause to reflect on how YOU define
success as a #SApro. You are the one who is going to be reporting to your boss
every day, connecting with students on campus, and spending the hours that you
spend on your job responsibilities. Create your own box. In fact, create your
own penthouse and shine in your work because you love what YOU do!
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