The 2007 Student Affairs Job Hunt

In Medias Res # 8: The 2008 Student Affairs Job Hunt and other things I want to avoid

This weekend I threw a bunch of students in a van and drove for a couple hours to a conference. I mention this because it was my first time supervising students outside of a campus context. It was also really fun. It was also really boring.
“What now?”, you say to me. How can I have fun and be bored? Well this is the subtle and complex nature of one such as myself, In Medias Res. It was fun to watch the students become engaged, empowered, make connections, discover resources, and generally be filled with lots of new ideas. It was boring because there were maybe two sessions for advisors (one of which I missed), and on the whole I was not the target audience. But I had a good time, and the students had a GREAT time which made it all worthwhile.
One of the things I did get to do at the conference was facilitate a discussion regarding spirituality development. That process really reinforced for me the desire to being doing that sort of work, and although I keep getting politely declined when I apply for those sorts of jobs I’m going to keep at it. I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
Of course, despite my being out of town the job search didn’t really stop. My OPE schedule is pretty full (I’m not nearly as scheduled as some of my friends, but I can simultaneously be choosier-I don’t have to find a job near a partner- and coy-I have a pretty clear idea of what I want- so I’m not racking up 14 schools). I am excited about placement even though its sneaking up on me faster than I would like.
NASPA/ACPA is a whole other matter (as are the jobs I’ve applied for that aren’t attending a placement). No one seems in a hurry to set up interviews, at least not with me. Lots of the jobs I want I can’t even apply for yet, because they aren’t up on HR sites. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, if it will be a rush to schedule interview the week before.
The one main thing I got done for the search this week was an involved application. I had to have people submit multiple letters of recommendation, the coordination of which was a major pain in the ass. I mean, I’m still technically entry level. How serious can this process be?
The nice thing about going away this weekend was I got to spend time with a practitioner who I really respect and admire. This person is the sort of student affairs pro that I want to be when I grow up. They are confident, knowledgeable, compassionate, and engaged (despite being in the field for quite some time). It was great to pick their brain regarding ideas and concerns about the job search.
The next two weeks I’m focusing on getting more and more apps out for NASPA/ACPA. I would like to have three to four really solid prospects set up going into OPE to keep the desperation level down. I also really need to sit down and start researching programs. Some of these schools I applied to based on reputation alone, and so I don’t really know why I want to work there (other than that someone has told me I would).
A last thought: a good friend of mine got his dream job last year, and after 10 months in the position he’s job searching again. This bothers me for a couple of reasons (among them is the fact that we will now be competing for the same jobs). I look at the resources that were available to him though, and what he did and did not take advantage of and I can see why he might have one foot out the door. It is always hard to move to a new place, to make new friends, and start a new(er) life. There are, though, things that can make that easier. Like getting involved in community organizations outside of the campus. His experience has really highlighted for me the need to do my due diligence on future jobs so that I know it’s possible to have a life outside of work. Because good lord, I don’t want to be doing this again next year.

posted by StudentAffairs.com @ 12:55 PM