Georgia Southern University

Career Trajectory Paper

Carolyn Cristancho

10/30/2012

American Higher EducationDr. Dotson

My higher education career aspirations are dependent on the opportunities I receive.

Ultimately, I would like to be the Dean of Students at a university. If an opportunity for a Dean

of Students position is not available, however, I would like to be a director for an office of

student conduct, student activities, or student leadership. There were many different experiences

that led to my desire to be in higher education. While getting my Bachelor’s degree, I worked in

Facilities under the Office of Student Activities. I saw the inner-workings of Student Affairs

first-hand every single day. During this time, I was able to see the programming side of student

activities the most and decided that, while I did not want to be on the coordinating end of

programming, I could do well in a leadership position in student affairs. I did some research on

higher education and I spoke with my supervisor about the best way to go about obtaining a

degree in higher education. I decided I wanted to work with students, but I wanted to be involved

with them outside of academics. I grew an interest in student activities as well as in the judicial

side of student affairs. Regardless of my specific interests, I knew I did not want to work in

admissions, financial aid, or academics so I found that student affairs was a great fit for me.

After assessing the jobs I could obtain with a Masters degree in Higher Education, I decided to

apply to the program at Georgia Southern University.

After being accepted, I interviewed for two Graduate Assistant positions. I was offered

both positions and I ended up choosing the assistantship with the Dean of Students Office.

Working in the Dean of Students Office is very beneficial to me. Not only does the assistantship

help me pay for my degree, but I am getting hands on experience with the type of work I want to

do one day. I am fortunate to see what the Dean of Students does every day because she is my

direct supervisor. We meet together every other week to discuss my career trajectory as well as

things going on within my job. This relationship also gives me the opportunity to shadow her in

order to gain knowledge on how to handle certain situations.

I have many goals for myself, some of which are short term while others are more long

term. One of my short term goals includes attending conferences. I have already attended a

couple of conferences, including a Student Affairs and Enrollment Management conference held

at Georgia Southern University last year. I hope to attend the NASPA conference in Orlando,

Florida this March. If I cannot attend conferences due to timing or funds, there are many

“webinars” available through resources like The Chronicle of Higher Education. These

“webinars” vary in subject, many of them encompassing technology or distance learning

("Events," 2012). Another short term goal of mine is to get hands-on experience within other

offices while I am in school. Currently, I am doing that by observing judicial hearings within the

Office of Student Conduct. I am also involved with the Alcohol and Other Drugs Program on

campus. Next semester, I will be presenting education information to students within the

program. I also hope to obtain an internship during graduate school. Preferably, I would like this

internship to be in an office similar to the type I want to build a career in. The last short term

goal I have is to graduate a semester ahead of schedule.

Most of my long-term goals are job related. I hope to obtain a job as a coordinator or

even an assistant director, if I’m lucky, out of graduate school. The position I obtain will depend

on the universities I apply to. For example, according to higheredjobs.com, Armstrong Atlantic

State University had a position open for a Student Success Coordinator. This is a job I could

obtain after graduation. The job requires a Bachelor’s degree and years of experience or a

Masters degree. If I were to apply, not only would I have a Masters degree in field directly

related to the job, but I would also have nearly four years of experience. Other schools, such as

Georgia Tech, have more requirements for employees. For example, according to

higheredjobs.com, there is a position open at Georgia Tech as a Director of Leadership and Civic

Engagement. The university is requiring a Master’s degree plus 7 to 10 years of experience

minimum in order to be considered ("Higheredjobs,"2012 ). Eventually I will qualify for a job

like the one available at Georgia Tech, but, until then, I will have to keep building my resume by

getting experience in different positions. Another long term goal I have is to get my doctorate in

higher education. Having my doctorate will open many doors for job opportunities. Since my

ultimate goal is to be a Dean of Students, obtaining a doctorate would be a good way to start that

process. Many Deans of Students have doctorates as well as many years of experience. I know

that I will have to work my way up after I graduate, and I am content with that.

My career trajectory really is dependent on the positions available when I am applying

for jobs; however, there is a general plan I have in order to achieve my goals. First, I need to

graduate. Second, I would like my first job to be some sort of coordinator position within student

affairs. I would prefer for this job to be in student conduct or student activities, but I would also

accept a position with an office of student leadership or career services. After two to three years,

I would like to move up to an assistant director’s position. I would prefer to be at a university

with a doctoral program at this point because I would like to work at a university that would pay

for me to get my doctorate. After getting my doctorate, I would like to move up to a director’s

position, again, within student affairs. After gaining experience, if a Dean of Students position

opened up somewhere I would apply. Realistically, there may be an extra year or two during

certain steps in my career trajectory due to the fact that I would like to have a family one day. If I

work hard and the opportunities are available, however, I think I could obtain a Dean of Students

position within 10 to 15 years.

In order to realize my career goals, there are many things I can do. The first and most

basic thing is to do well in graduate school. The second, and a very important, thing is to utilize

the relationship that I currently have. I think I am at an advantage working where I work. I have

the ability to work with someone who holds my career goals. I have the ability to get experience

in other offices. I also have the ability to get guidance from someone who has worked her way

through my career trajectory. It would be foolish for me to let those relationships go to waste.

Another thing I can do is network in the city I end up in. If I get a job at a university, I need to

network myself to administration within that university so that, if I want to apply for another job,

they know who I am. Networking myself to others would also help me get positive

recommendations when applying to other schools. Another thing I can do to make sure I stay on

track with my career goals is go to conferences and learn. Higher education is changing and, if I

do not keep up with those changes, my experience will remain obsolete and outdated. By

continually learning, I will always know how to do my job in the most efficient and effective

way possible. The last thing I can do is to stay up to date on job availability and apply to the jobs

that are available. There are so many who only apply to certain jobs because they think they are

not qualified for others. If I apply for jobs that I may be slightly under qualified for, I may still

have an opportunity. I obviously would not apply for a job I am grossly under qualified for, but if

the posting prefers a Masters degree with 5 years of experience and I have a Masters degree with

4 years of experience, I would still apply.

Overall, I think I have a good grasp on what I need in order to be successful in my higher

education career. Aside from qualification, I think my personality traits will be large factors in

my potential success. I am very driven, I make sure to do my best in everything, and I am always

prepared. I am very much looking forward to my career in higher education and I am excited to

begin my career trajectory post-graduation.

Events. (2012, October 30). The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from

http://chronicle.com/section/Events/77/

Higheredjobs. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.higheredjobs.com/region/details.cfm?

JobCode=175685578&Title=Director, Leadership and Civic Engagement