Its not just a job Careers in Student Affairs

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Its not just a jobCareers in Student Affairs

• Jasi OConnor
• Director of Residence Life
• Concordia College

Tri-College Residence Life Staff
Conference October 7, 2006
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Why Student Affairs?

• improve the quality of campus life
• enhance student learning
• attract and retain qualified students
• provide students with satisfactory housing,
  health services, and recreational facilities
• coordinate student activities
• help make college financially accessible to
  students
• help students make career decisions
• support the needs of nontraditional students
  (commuter, older than average, special
  populations)

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Whats Out There? The world beyond Residence
Life

• Admissions
• Financial Aid
• Residence Life/Housing
• Campus Activities
• Student Leadership and Service
• Career Services
• First Year Experience Program
• Judicial Affairs

• Student Union Operations/Activities
• College Counseling
• Orientation
• Multicultural Student Affairs
• Academic Support Services/Advising
• Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Programs

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How Do I Get From Here to There?

• Decide
• Graduate School
• Work
• Both

Here
Fulfilling Career
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If You Decide to Work

• Get Experience Now
• Find out what opportunities are available to you
  as an undergraduate.
• Can you do an internship?
• Can you work in an office?
• Do you have someone who is willing to mentor you?
• Youve already got some experience by being an
  RA! Find ways to build on that and take on more
  responsibility.

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If You Decide on Graduate School

• Research programs
• http//www.naspa.org/gradprep/index.cfm
• Find out what graduate admissions tests you need
  to take
• GRE
• MAT
• Explore financial aid opportunities

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What?! I Can Go to Grad School for Free??

• Many graduate programs offer graduate
  assistantships in Student Affairs. These often
  include
• Tuition waiver
• Monthly stipend
• Meal plan
• All of the above

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What?! I Can Go to Grad School for Free??

• Many schools have Graduate Hall Director
  positions, which offer benefits such as
• All the things mentioned before
• Stipend, tuition waiver, meal plan
• Furnished apartment
• Free utilities/cable TV/internet hookup/telephone
• Valuable work and leadership experience

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Whats the Best Path for Me? How to Get More
Information

• Talk with your Hall Director
• Contact the Office of Student Affairs on your
  campus
• Talk to a Student Affairs professional who works
  in an area of interest for you
• Visit the Career Center
• Attend a professional conference, if possible
• Experiment
• Get online!

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What I Love About My JobWords from Student
Affairs Professionals

• I enjoy working with students - helping them to
  discover themselves, challenge themselves, etc. 
  I also enjoy the working environment - education
  is incredibly important to me and since I'm not
  gifted with the patience to teach, Student
  Affairs work allows me to remain in that general
  educational environment.  I find that my core
  values and beliefs also fit very well with the
  mission of higher education - with its focus on
  diversity and improving the lives of others. 
  Finally, I feel that it is just an incredibly
  fun, exciting and challenging field - no 2 days
  are the same and the interactions with students
  keep me feeling young.

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What I Love About My JobWords from Student
Affairs Professionals

• For me, there is a nice balance between working
  with people and having time to work individually
• Being able to contribute to the
  students' educational experience in more informal
  ways, outside the classroom.
• I enjoy giving student leaders the tools
  necessary to be successful in their positions and
  then being present to watch as they utilize these
  skills in their work as leaders. 

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What You Need to Know

• Most entry level SA positions require you to work
  some nights and weekends.
• Budget constraints of higher education
• Flexibility is a requirement
• You ARE a role model
• Difficulty describing what your job is to
  students, staff, and outsiders"

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Advice

• When you look for grad programs, try to talk to
  someone who has graduated from that program
• Enter this career if you truly enjoy working with
  students and helping them develop their skills
• Recognize that you wont necessarily get paid
  according to your worth (but youre probably
  already used to that) and that it is important to
  further your education if you want to be
  successful
• I strongly feel that these careers need people
  who are ok with chaos constant interruptions
  and changes in directions. For the most part
  that is what makes my job so interesting and
  satisfying for me but it also causes a lot of
  stress if I let it!

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Online Resources

• The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Has job listings and articles related to higher
  ed
• Oshkosh Placement Exchange (OPE)
• Regional placement conference for Residence Life
  positions
• American College Personnel Assoc. (ACPA)
• Has job listings National professional
  organization
• Natl Assoc. of College Personnel Administrators
  (NASPA)
• Has job listings National professional
  organization

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Online Resources, continued

• Association of College and University Housing
  Officers-International (ACUHO-I)
• Has job listings Residence Life related
  materials
• StudentAffairs.com
• Information about Student Affairs, including
  websites, listserves, online courses, and more!
• HigherEdJobs.com
• Great job listing site!