Campus is completely silent. Students have been gone for weeks and summer classes don't start for a couple more. My wife and I just got back from taking one of our usual evening walks around campus. It was then that I realized we're moving in five weeks and it seems that only now do we "own" the campus we're currently on. We're not going to feel comfortable walking around our new campus at night five weeks from now. We'll be starting from scratch all over again.
I've been thinking a lot about how I want to wrap up this blog. I know that I want to do the traditional "what I've learned" ending, but I don't want it to be anything that makes the search sound too simple or complex.
For example, many people will tell you that "you'll just know" when you find the right place (the same thing you hear when you're looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right), and that's misleading. I know a few individuals who have held onto that idea and haven't found "the place" and are taking jobs that they are treating as temporary (a horrible idea to treat a job as temporary because of the underlying attitude that will play into all taken actions) or are still searching.
I think that you can certainly know the wrong place(s), but falling in love with a place based on first impressions can be dangerous. The institution I have chosen became my number one, but moved up and down the list multiple times.
Started high early in my research (in my top three out of the first ten to fifteen schools I looked at), but then plummeted to the bottom third after I had researched about thirty.
Jumped high again when I interviewed at SPE, but I enjoyed a good number of the interviews I did.
Throughout the rest of my search, it peaked and fell a number of times, but with each phase I got to see more of the complexities associated with the institution, position, and professionals. Eventually, I "knew" it was the right place, but at no point did the skies open and shine a golden light with a chorus of angels singing.
I'll share more of what I learned later on, but that seemed especially important at this time. It seems that too many individuals take things at face value and base some large decisions on feelings and emotions (which provide important pieces of information, but not all the needed pieces).
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #21
I never thought things would be as hectic has they have been over the past week.
Graduation was emotional. I participated in two separate ceremonies and cried my way through one. My family and best friend came to see me and that made it even more special. It still hasn't hit me that it's all over. My grades have posted, I've done the ceremony, but I still don't feel like it's over. Everyone tells me that it will start to feel over when the fall comes and I'm not enrolled in classes, others say that it'll be months after that when I finally feel like it's done.
I've taken the last week to rest up and try to return to society as a functioning human. My assistantship encouraged me to take some time off before starting up my summer gig with them, and so I picked up lots of hours at The Second Job instead. I made a trip to my hometown for a few days, and now I'm back and ready to get back to work tomorrow. I have the next two months of my life planned out pretty well; I know when I'll be working at my jobs and when I'll be going back home. My best friend gets married next month and I'm looking forward to an extended visit at home with my family and friends. One of my close friends that I made during the past two years has offered to help me move, and I've snatched up his offer. I already reserved my truck and made my tentative moving plans. Can you tell how much I love to schedule things?
I made a trip to my undergrad to see some old professors and mentors. It was great to spend time talking with people and sharing my success with them. Being back on campus was also wonderful, and I'm amazed that after two years it still feels like home. Things have changed, but not the degree that it has altered the feeling I get when I drive on campus. I've managed to make it to homecoming and graduation these past two years, but it's odd to know that I might not get that chance again.
People are telling me to take some time off from the insanity of my summer and do something fun. Oddly, I don't really WANT to take any time off. I'm anxious to save up money and start to plan (go figure) how I'll start paying off my debt. While I'd love to do something absolutely amazing before I go off and become an adult, I'm not going to attempt to find what that might be already. I'd rather stumble upon something and make it happen. My spontaneous side has to come out somewhere, right?
Graduation was emotional. I participated in two separate ceremonies and cried my way through one. My family and best friend came to see me and that made it even more special. It still hasn't hit me that it's all over. My grades have posted, I've done the ceremony, but I still don't feel like it's over. Everyone tells me that it will start to feel over when the fall comes and I'm not enrolled in classes, others say that it'll be months after that when I finally feel like it's done.
I've taken the last week to rest up and try to return to society as a functioning human. My assistantship encouraged me to take some time off before starting up my summer gig with them, and so I picked up lots of hours at The Second Job instead. I made a trip to my hometown for a few days, and now I'm back and ready to get back to work tomorrow. I have the next two months of my life planned out pretty well; I know when I'll be working at my jobs and when I'll be going back home. My best friend gets married next month and I'm looking forward to an extended visit at home with my family and friends. One of my close friends that I made during the past two years has offered to help me move, and I've snatched up his offer. I already reserved my truck and made my tentative moving plans. Can you tell how much I love to schedule things?
I made a trip to my undergrad to see some old professors and mentors. It was great to spend time talking with people and sharing my success with them. Being back on campus was also wonderful, and I'm amazed that after two years it still feels like home. Things have changed, but not the degree that it has altered the feeling I get when I drive on campus. I've managed to make it to homecoming and graduation these past two years, but it's odd to know that I might not get that chance again.
People are telling me to take some time off from the insanity of my summer and do something fun. Oddly, I don't really WANT to take any time off. I'm anxious to save up money and start to plan (go figure) how I'll start paying off my debt. While I'd love to do something absolutely amazing before I go off and become an adult, I'm not going to attempt to find what that might be already. I'd rather stumble upon something and make it happen. My spontaneous side has to come out somewhere, right?
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Great Fishbowl Quest #21
My wife and I got to check out our apartment and were super-excited with what we saw. I'll talk about my thoughts on my job next week. With people leaving, this post will be focused more on the cohort than the job search.
For those entering grad programs, I strongly recommend the cohort system. Early in my blogging I talked about some of the rules that seem implied, but overall, the experience has been a beneficial one. Throughout the past two years, I have established great relationships and learned from many of my student colleagues. I've also learned to actively defend my opinions and have learned what battles to fight and what to pass up. During this past semester, everybody's professional identity seemed to be fired into a finished product. At the beginning, it was hard to distinguish any of us except by our previous institutions. By the end of the program, though, everybody's strengths and weaknesses seemed to be highlighted and known.
Many close friendships were formed, but the good also comes with the bad. I think, though, that this is a characteristic of a healthy program. There were many people in the program that formed relationships that will benefit them both professionally and personally, while there were others who seemed to be focused on getting the "free" degree for the least amount of effort.
I know that assistantships (especially in Housing & Residence Life) often bring people who aren't necessarily interested in doing graduate level work or making a career in student affairs. Overall, though, I think that more good is reaped for the profession and that those who aren't cut out for the profession will often weed themselves out--or be weeded out when found.
With that in mind, I haven't sorted out my feelings on everybody getting hired, but they did (or at least have offers on the table). It doesn't surprise me that we all landed our jobs; our program has produced qualified professionals with great attitudes and ethics (if I do say so myself) and our alumni are appreciated by their employers.
My hope is that all of us leaving keep our good name in mind and continue to open the doors for others that will be following us. In some unflattering terms, I hope we spread like a virus, are saught after like addictives, and live as long as cockroaches (who I hear can survive nuclear blasts).
For those entering grad programs, I strongly recommend the cohort system. Early in my blogging I talked about some of the rules that seem implied, but overall, the experience has been a beneficial one. Throughout the past two years, I have established great relationships and learned from many of my student colleagues. I've also learned to actively defend my opinions and have learned what battles to fight and what to pass up. During this past semester, everybody's professional identity seemed to be fired into a finished product. At the beginning, it was hard to distinguish any of us except by our previous institutions. By the end of the program, though, everybody's strengths and weaknesses seemed to be highlighted and known.
Many close friendships were formed, but the good also comes with the bad. I think, though, that this is a characteristic of a healthy program. There were many people in the program that formed relationships that will benefit them both professionally and personally, while there were others who seemed to be focused on getting the "free" degree for the least amount of effort.
I know that assistantships (especially in Housing & Residence Life) often bring people who aren't necessarily interested in doing graduate level work or making a career in student affairs. Overall, though, I think that more good is reaped for the profession and that those who aren't cut out for the profession will often weed themselves out--or be weeded out when found.
With that in mind, I haven't sorted out my feelings on everybody getting hired, but they did (or at least have offers on the table). It doesn't surprise me that we all landed our jobs; our program has produced qualified professionals with great attitudes and ethics (if I do say so myself) and our alumni are appreciated by their employers.
My hope is that all of us leaving keep our good name in mind and continue to open the doors for others that will be following us. In some unflattering terms, I hope we spread like a virus, are saught after like addictives, and live as long as cockroaches (who I hear can survive nuclear blasts).
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Great Fishbowl Quest #20
Congratulations to my blogging buddy! I finally had the opportunity to officially accept my position this past Monday. The past two weeks have wrapped up this chapter in my life pretty well. My parents and wife were there to watch me graduate this past weekend, I accepted the job I wanted at Number One Institution working for the supervisor I wanted to work for in one of the buildings I wanted to be in. What else could I ask for?
During the ceremony, I spoke to my friends (and those I didn't know) sitting around me in the front row. Everyone around me was receiving a Master's in education and I felt it was important to take a moment to remind everybody of something we tend to forget in our field. Those of graduating with a Master's have an experience that most people will never have. In our world, everybody we work with is college-educated or attempting to be. In the world outside of our campuses, though, college provides an experience that many people will only know of through television and movies. So for those of you graduating, realize the accomplishments that you have made, and pat yourself and your friends on the back (just try not to mess up the hood).
I feel extremely grateful to already have a job secured, because with that comes having a place to live secured. While just about everybody in my cohort has secured a job, I know of others that are still searching for that position. Almost everyone I know has been offered, but many offers have been turned down. I believe everybody I know will get a job, the field is currently full of vacancies. I just wish everybody the same luck at knowing when to cash in their chips.
And finally, I leave a question for anybody reading. A current discussion among the cohort is on which professional association to join (the two biggies, ACPA or NASPA).
ACPA seems to focus on the professional, while NASPA seems to focus on the profession.
By this I mean that a lot of new professionals lean to ACPA and networking and professional development sessions seem to be the focus, while NASPA seems to be a bit more based in research.
Now before I get a billion comments, I understand that both ACPA and NASPA do much of the same. I feel that both accomplish different goals, though, and I'm trying to figure out which path to take. Many have told me to join both, but I want to join one so that I can focus my contributions.
And please don't tell me to pick based on the national conference location, you might make me throw up in my mouth a little.
During the ceremony, I spoke to my friends (and those I didn't know) sitting around me in the front row. Everyone around me was receiving a Master's in education and I felt it was important to take a moment to remind everybody of something we tend to forget in our field. Those of graduating with a Master's have an experience that most people will never have. In our world, everybody we work with is college-educated or attempting to be. In the world outside of our campuses, though, college provides an experience that many people will only know of through television and movies. So for those of you graduating, realize the accomplishments that you have made, and pat yourself and your friends on the back (just try not to mess up the hood).
I feel extremely grateful to already have a job secured, because with that comes having a place to live secured. While just about everybody in my cohort has secured a job, I know of others that are still searching for that position. Almost everyone I know has been offered, but many offers have been turned down. I believe everybody I know will get a job, the field is currently full of vacancies. I just wish everybody the same luck at knowing when to cash in their chips.
And finally, I leave a question for anybody reading. A current discussion among the cohort is on which professional association to join (the two biggies, ACPA or NASPA).
ACPA seems to focus on the professional, while NASPA seems to focus on the profession.
By this I mean that a lot of new professionals lean to ACPA and networking and professional development sessions seem to be the focus, while NASPA seems to be a bit more based in research.
Now before I get a billion comments, I understand that both ACPA and NASPA do much of the same. I feel that both accomplish different goals, though, and I'm trying to figure out which path to take. Many have told me to join both, but I want to join one so that I can focus my contributions.
And please don't tell me to pick based on the national conference location, you might make me throw up in my mouth a little.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #20
Just as quickly as everything came to the boiling point, everything simmered back down.
I headed to my on-campus interview trying to keep a clear mind. This was my #2 choice from the ACPA interviews and I knew I had to be fair with this. Since my #1 choice was no longer in the picture, obviously this became a little more important. My trip to the campus was fun and on a very beautiful day. I arrived, and I think one of the first things that came into my head was "Oh shit."
The campus is beautiful. Coming from an undergraduate institution that had the most amazing scenery, I'm pretty tough on other campuses about their atmosphere. This place looks like it's out of a movie. I loved it.
My interview day was full and tiring, but very helpful. I met so many people, all of whom were fantastic. I spoke to a few students and got to be a fly on the wall in the office during my breaks. By the end of the day I knew that I really liked this place, and I knew that was just going to complicate my decision. I was lucky because they were already moving quickly with the search and so it went perfectly with my accelerated timeline.
I left campus and burst into tears. In my head I'm thinking, "Great. WTF am I supposed to do now?!"
I am lucky to have supportive people all around me, and after a few hours of thinking and talking, good food, and a few drinks, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to get that job. If they passed on me, I would accept the other offer. As the night wore on, I wanted the job more and more. As I kept thinking about all the positives about the position I started kicking myself for not giving THAT much more energy and enthusiasm during the interview.
Apparently, my self criticism wasn't that necessary.
Yesterday, while sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant off of some random exit on some highway, I got the call that offered me this position and I immediately accepted. I will be moving in a few months to embark on the next leg of my journey through student affairs and to start a position that will bring me challenges and positive experiences. As my mom pointed out - I went on two campus interviews and got two job offers. Lucky doesn't even begin to describe it.
I have actually managed to accomplish what I set out to do so many months ago; I have job by graduation. This weekend I will walk across the stage and be incredibly proud that I finished this degree and obtained a position that I fell in love with back in February. I remember the moment I read the position description and thought, "Wow. This could possibly be the best position ever." The journey to get to this point has been exhausting. I finally feel like I can sleep and eat normally and not worry about what to do with my life. It's been almost exactly 5 months since I applied for my very first position. I am glad that this process was so successful for me (and for my blogging buddy) but I also realize that it's not been that way for many others. There are only a handful of us in my program who have already accepted positions and the rest are still actively searching and interviewing.
For the rest of the summer I will continue at my assistantship and keep plugging away at my second job. The packing and cleaning will start soon (Because I seriously love nothing else more than packing. Really.) and then I'll be off on my next adventure. Let's hope it's as great as I think it could be.
I headed to my on-campus interview trying to keep a clear mind. This was my #2 choice from the ACPA interviews and I knew I had to be fair with this. Since my #1 choice was no longer in the picture, obviously this became a little more important. My trip to the campus was fun and on a very beautiful day. I arrived, and I think one of the first things that came into my head was "Oh shit."
The campus is beautiful. Coming from an undergraduate institution that had the most amazing scenery, I'm pretty tough on other campuses about their atmosphere. This place looks like it's out of a movie. I loved it.
My interview day was full and tiring, but very helpful. I met so many people, all of whom were fantastic. I spoke to a few students and got to be a fly on the wall in the office during my breaks. By the end of the day I knew that I really liked this place, and I knew that was just going to complicate my decision. I was lucky because they were already moving quickly with the search and so it went perfectly with my accelerated timeline.
I left campus and burst into tears. In my head I'm thinking, "Great. WTF am I supposed to do now?!"
I am lucky to have supportive people all around me, and after a few hours of thinking and talking, good food, and a few drinks, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to get that job. If they passed on me, I would accept the other offer. As the night wore on, I wanted the job more and more. As I kept thinking about all the positives about the position I started kicking myself for not giving THAT much more energy and enthusiasm during the interview.
Apparently, my self criticism wasn't that necessary.
Yesterday, while sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant off of some random exit on some highway, I got the call that offered me this position and I immediately accepted. I will be moving in a few months to embark on the next leg of my journey through student affairs and to start a position that will bring me challenges and positive experiences. As my mom pointed out - I went on two campus interviews and got two job offers. Lucky doesn't even begin to describe it.
I have actually managed to accomplish what I set out to do so many months ago; I have job by graduation. This weekend I will walk across the stage and be incredibly proud that I finished this degree and obtained a position that I fell in love with back in February. I remember the moment I read the position description and thought, "Wow. This could possibly be the best position ever." The journey to get to this point has been exhausting. I finally feel like I can sleep and eat normally and not worry about what to do with my life. It's been almost exactly 5 months since I applied for my very first position. I am glad that this process was so successful for me (and for my blogging buddy) but I also realize that it's not been that way for many others. There are only a handful of us in my program who have already accepted positions and the rest are still actively searching and interviewing.
For the rest of the summer I will continue at my assistantship and keep plugging away at my second job. The packing and cleaning will start soon (Because I seriously love nothing else more than packing. Really.) and then I'll be off on my next adventure. Let's hope it's as great as I think it could be.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be.... #19
You would think that by now I would be used to the unexpected when it comes to my job search, but I am constantly surprised by happens.
This week I was offered an on-campus interview which I immediately accepted. This comes from an institution that really interests me and for a position that seems like it could be the best thing ever.
Two days later I received my first job offer.
I hate to say that I wasn't surprised, but I wasn't. I knew I nailed that interview, but I guess I didn't realize what kind of an impression I had made until the bargaining started after I said I'd need some time because I had another interview lined up. I am completely unprepared for feeling of being recruited for a position. Luckily, my supervisors at my assistantship are wonderful, caring people. Each one of them dealt with me in the midst of my freak out, and they all helped to talk me off the ledge.
That same day I found out that an institution I had JUST applied to days beforehand was already checking my references. I went from having virtually nothing on the horizon to multiple things going on all at the same time.
I'm losing my mind.
In all truth I am in a much better place now than I was a day ago. I felt like I was walking around in a daze, and I was. Maybe I still am. I am constantly weighing my options and trying to decide what decision I should make. I am giving this on-campus interview a fair shot, but I'm wondering what decision I will make once it's all over. If I like what I see and feel at my interview I will have to decide whether or not I have the metaphorical balls to turn down my other offer. If I'm not 100% after the interview.....I will probably take the offer. The job offer is a decent one, and it's a position that I know I would be great in. My friends beyond the realm of higher ed have all said that they would pick this job for me out of any other ones that I have floating around as options. I'm taking this into consideration, regardless of whether or not I should, because these friends know me better than most.
I've been told to take some time to do some soul-searching following my interview. Despite how busy I will be, I plan on following this advice and do some major thinking.
On the other side of the coin, my life as a graduate student is officially done. Classes are completed, coursework is turned in, my last hours at my assistantship are clocked in. I just wait for graduation and for the celebrations to begin.....with or without an accepted position.
This week I was offered an on-campus interview which I immediately accepted. This comes from an institution that really interests me and for a position that seems like it could be the best thing ever.
Two days later I received my first job offer.
I hate to say that I wasn't surprised, but I wasn't. I knew I nailed that interview, but I guess I didn't realize what kind of an impression I had made until the bargaining started after I said I'd need some time because I had another interview lined up. I am completely unprepared for feeling of being recruited for a position. Luckily, my supervisors at my assistantship are wonderful, caring people. Each one of them dealt with me in the midst of my freak out, and they all helped to talk me off the ledge.
That same day I found out that an institution I had JUST applied to days beforehand was already checking my references. I went from having virtually nothing on the horizon to multiple things going on all at the same time.
I'm losing my mind.
In all truth I am in a much better place now than I was a day ago. I felt like I was walking around in a daze, and I was. Maybe I still am. I am constantly weighing my options and trying to decide what decision I should make. I am giving this on-campus interview a fair shot, but I'm wondering what decision I will make once it's all over. If I like what I see and feel at my interview I will have to decide whether or not I have the metaphorical balls to turn down my other offer. If I'm not 100% after the interview.....I will probably take the offer. The job offer is a decent one, and it's a position that I know I would be great in. My friends beyond the realm of higher ed have all said that they would pick this job for me out of any other ones that I have floating around as options. I'm taking this into consideration, regardless of whether or not I should, because these friends know me better than most.
I've been told to take some time to do some soul-searching following my interview. Despite how busy I will be, I plan on following this advice and do some major thinking.
On the other side of the coin, my life as a graduate student is officially done. Classes are completed, coursework is turned in, my last hours at my assistantship are clocked in. I just wait for graduation and for the celebrations to begin.....with or without an accepted position.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Great Fishbowl Quest #19
It seems that today is the day that I can no longer avoid the fact that I'm going to be sad to leave all of the relationships that I've established here. Already, I don't look forward to losing the opportunity to work with my close friends. While here, I've learned that good colleagues can be hard to come by and excellent colleagues are rare finds. I get that I'll still get to keep in contact with these people, but the chance I'll get to work with them again is slim.
This past weekend a group of us got together for a cookout and the following night my wife and I had the opportunity to have dinner with one of my faculty members and her husband. Both of these experiences pointed to the fact that only recently have we finally felt that we're at home...and we'll be leaving in two months.
The idea of starting over is exhausting.
As I type this, a few of my friends are playing some Wii together, but I had to pass as my staff needed my immediate attention. The opportunities left to spend any quality time together are quickly diminishing and "arguments" are on the table of which professional associations should be joined if we ever expect to see each other again.
I'm sure I'd be frightened if I was told the number of times I would hang out with each of my friends before one of us moved away or if I was told the number of times we'd ever have a real conversation in person again. I'd like to think that some good piece of news would come out of that revelation (that I could work side-by-side with one of my close friends again and still consider that person a close friend), but I know that's a wish made for a Hallmark card.
So for now, I'm going to attempt to handle these feelings by crawling into bed and trying to sleep them off (I know...that's a healthy dose of avoidance). Tonight my wife and I will cook dinner and say our goodbyes to the staff (that will still be working for the remainder of the week), Friday I'll say goodbye to my peers and faculty, and Saturday I'll say goodbye to grad school.
Today's a day of missing.
This past weekend a group of us got together for a cookout and the following night my wife and I had the opportunity to have dinner with one of my faculty members and her husband. Both of these experiences pointed to the fact that only recently have we finally felt that we're at home...and we'll be leaving in two months.
The idea of starting over is exhausting.
As I type this, a few of my friends are playing some Wii together, but I had to pass as my staff needed my immediate attention. The opportunities left to spend any quality time together are quickly diminishing and "arguments" are on the table of which professional associations should be joined if we ever expect to see each other again.
I'm sure I'd be frightened if I was told the number of times I would hang out with each of my friends before one of us moved away or if I was told the number of times we'd ever have a real conversation in person again. I'd like to think that some good piece of news would come out of that revelation (that I could work side-by-side with one of my close friends again and still consider that person a close friend), but I know that's a wish made for a Hallmark card.
So for now, I'm going to attempt to handle these feelings by crawling into bed and trying to sleep them off (I know...that's a healthy dose of avoidance). Tonight my wife and I will cook dinner and say our goodbyes to the staff (that will still be working for the remainder of the week), Friday I'll say goodbye to my peers and faculty, and Saturday I'll say goodbye to grad school.
Today's a day of missing.
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