Writer: Kylee Vanek, Assistant Director, ASU Career and Professional Development Services
Higher Education offers a plethora of career opportunities for those interested in supporting college students. For myself, I came to the idea of working professionally in a university setting while an undergraduate student working as a Resident Assistant (also referred to as R.A.) at my alma mater. I loved being in college, but working for colleges and universities is a bit different! Since my time as an R.A. I have held professional roles in University Housing, Academic Advising, Student Leadership & Development within an academic unit and now with Career & Professional Development Services here at ASU. Below are a few things to know as you consider a career in Higher Education.
- Meet students where they are. Students come from such diverse backgrounds, which is what makes college campuses and classrooms such amazing places to learn and grow, but that can also present challenges. You may not always be able to understand where a student is coming from or what support they need. It’s important to listen. Regardless of what department you work for, listening to understand will be of great value. Think of a tour guide, while a student may be seeing you for academic course guidance they may also need resources related to financial aid, counseling services or information on how to get involved in student clubs. As a staff member, you want to be connecting them to those other offices for support.
- Flexibility is important. Students' lives don’t stop at 5 pm, and therefore many things about higher education don’t either. There may be times when you stay late or work on a weekend for a student event, orientation or provide additional coverage for your office. Your willingness to support these types of engagements with enthusiasm will show you are a team player and that you understand the value of holistically supporting students.
- Develop transferable skills. You can then use these skills to work in other departments on a college campus, move to other institutions or even apply to roles beyond higher education if you prefer. While your exact role might vary, you will likely learn how to articulate complex policy and procedures to students, provide resources to students when they are struggling in their academic or personal lives, collaborate within and across departments, use data or information to inform decision making, and plan events for a variety of group sizes, among a variety of other skills.
- You might not always directly work with students. That being said, regardless of how frequent or direct your contact with students is, the work you do is supporting them. As you look at roles within higher education, consider the types of support you want to provide for students and how present you wish to be in their day to day lives.
- Consider pursuing a Master’s Degree. Universities offer advanced degrees related to Higher Education. Courses in these programs will vary, but will likely include student development theory, organization and administration in Higher Education and budgeting and financing in Higher Education. Assistantships, Management Internships and practicum experiences are often a part of the program requirements as well, and help you get hands-on experiences in different departments.
HigherEdJobs and ChronicleVitae, which is run by The Chronicle of Higher Education, are great resources for identifying and applying to a variety of positions, locations and institution types. Your willingness to relocate and work at different types of institutions will increase the opportunities you have access to. If you are interested in a particular field such as Career Services, Housing, Greek Life, New Student Orientation, Admissions, etc. you will want to consider applying to openings at several institutions. If you are more interested in working at a specific institution you can look directly to their website’s Human Resources page for openings. The more focused you are on being at a specific institution the broader you will want to be in the types of roles that you consider.