Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
First I figured out while I was an undergrad that I wanted to work in Student Affairs.
Then I became an Orientation Leader at my institution and found I loved it!
After working as an Orientation Leader I began to explore other opportunities in student affairs.
Once I knew this was the career for me I started my master's and then upon graduation began my work.
Education
High School
Bachelor
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Career
Dean of Students
I work with college students in out of classroom activities and experiences.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Non-Profit Organizations
Working with Others
Day to Day
No day is like the other and most days what is planned gets changed. I have the opportunity to work with students in a variety of ways. I also develop programs, opportunities and learning experiences for students to engage in and learn from over the course of their time at our College. We have a busy office with students in and out, lots of emails from students, faculty, staff and sometimes parents and of course administrative functions to achieve, too. It's a high energy, fast paced day!
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
If you have the opportunity while you are in college to work in your student affairs office, either as a work-study student, as an R.A., a member of the campus activities board, as a member of the college conduct board ... whatever you find you are curious about ... that is a good place to start. Then if you are interested in pursuing a career in student affairs you'll have some ideas about what areas might interest you and what specialization you might want to pursue in grad school.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You won't earn much money in education. What is it that you really do? Get a real job."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation College Student
