Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

Career Trajectory
Jamie Taylor
Dr. Dan Calhoun
EDLD 7430
Georgia Southern University

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

Since my sophomore year in college, I have always been identified as a

leader, but until I found my career path (working in Higher Education and
specifically in Residence Life and New Student Orientation), I never truly
understood what being a leader meant. Over the past five years, I have
been privy to great insight into what it takes to be a leader in an institution
of higher education. When my mentor first approached me about the
possibility of pursuing a career in Higher Education, I was skeptical. I had my
heart set on being a high school math teacher, and I did not know if I wanted
to change that. After I completed one semester of student teaching in a high
school setting, I decided that teaching in the secondary level just wasnt for
me. I then began to foster my passion for higher education and took
advantage of EVERY opportunity placed in front of me. I finally woke up and
realized that I truly loved having an impact on college students, and I knew
that I would not be happy in a secondary education setting. So, closing my
eyes and hoping for the best, I started applying for jobs. I was offered the
opportunity of a lifetime a month before graduation. I accepted the
opportunity to join the full time Residence Life Staff at North Georgia College
and State University and I have not looked back. I have had great
opportunities to make positive and long-term changes locally in my chosen
career, and in the future I hope to make a difference in the lives of students
and the realm of Higher Education on a regional and perhaps national scale
as a professional in my field.

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

My career path as well as my professional development have been and

will continue to be a growing process. As I stated above, I value change and
making a difference in my profession, even though I realize that it is an
unwieldy system with little room for quick change. However, in the past few
years, first as an Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant and Lead Resident
Assistant in my undergraduate career at Clayton State University, my
internship at North Georgia College and State University and currently as a
Coordinator for Residence Life at the University of North Georgia, I have been
given many opportunities to see higher education, specifically in the areas of
student housing and orientation, as a complicated but evolving system.
Through my experiences in Residence Life, Orientation and Student Activities
on two different campuses, I have not only gained invaluable perspective
about the higher education system but I have also discovered my niche
within higher education. My ultimate goal is to be a Director of First Year
Experience at a 4-year higher education institution either through Residence
Life or Orientation. In order to reach this goal and to success in the field, I
have made a clear and diverse plan for seeing this through.
First and foremost, I have a strong will and desire to finish my Masters
degree as well as eventually work to get my Doctorate in the field of Higher
Education. While working on my Masters degree, I have been exposed to a
variety of higher education related courses as well as practical experiences
related to my profession. In addition to the reading, coursework and actual
hands on job experience I have had over the past year, I will eventually be

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

completing a practicum experience outside of my job in order to synthesize

my theoretical classroom experiences with my practical experiences. This
will allow me the opportunity to display my understanding of higher
education theory, to gain practical experience in the field, and to
troubleshoot and think logically about higher education and the needs
required in my specific area of the field. After completing my Masters
degree, I will go on to pursue my Doctoral degree in Higher Education
Administration or Educational Leadership; I plan to begin this coursework in
no less than five years from finishing my Masters degree. This will give me
time to acclimate myself to practical work experience as well as to begin
informal preparations and brainstorming for a dissertation topic. Once I am
finished with my Doctoral degree, I will begin making the necessary steps
toward becoming a Director of First Year Experience, job searching for
opportunities to work as an Assistant Director or equivalent, before finally, in
8-10 years or so, becoming a Director.
While I am finishing my Masters program, I will continue to work full
time and gain ever bit of practical knowledge in the field that is offered to
me. In the time between finishing my Masters degree and beginning my
Doctoral work, I will continue to work full time. I started my first full-time
staff position at North Georgia College and State University as the
Coordinator for Residential Leadership in July of 2012; in this role, I manage a
300-bed traditional residential facility and oversee leadership programming
and development for the Office of Residence Life at the university. In this

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

role, I also have the opportunity to work as a member of the Pro-Staff Team
for Orientation and First Year Programs. I have been given many different
opportunities through the Office of Residence Life as well as the Office of
Orientation and First Year Experience at the University of North Georgia
(formally, North Georgia College and State University). In this role, I also
have the opportunity to mentor students as a supervisor and as an advisor of
the Residence Hall Association. In addition to all of the things listed above, I
sit on a couple committees including ones that are University led as well as
committees at the State and Regional Level through SEAHO. All of these
practical experiences will allow me to develop as a professional, learning to
help students troubleshoot, self-reflect and engage with others. I am
currently in my second year in this position and I plan to stay until I finish my
graduate degree in May of 2015; before pursuing a promotion to the next
level within the field and hopefully in the direct field of Orientation. These
positions will give me direct experience aiding students in their transition to
a college lifestyle, assisting parents, supervising students and peers, and
working administratively in the field. Through these roles, I will be able to
keep current with day-to-day issues facing institutions of higher education as
well as the related issues facing students. My roles will not only develop
students but allow me to develop my skills as a leader and a supervisor.
I also plan to join, in the upcoming months, various professional
organizations that relate to the field of Student Affairs and Orientation. In
order to keep informed and involved about Student Affairs in general, I plan

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

to join NASPA and ACPA in the near future. Both of these organizations are
dedicated to providing professional development for Student Affairs
professionals; one of the major benefits that I see in joining both of these
organizations is attending conferences and taking advantage of the
presentations, lectures and developmental information disseminated at such
events. These activities will allow me to expand my horizons outside of my
current role in Residence Life and keep me informed about issues and trends
in Student Affairs as well as job searching and network opportunities. More
specifically, to keep up-to-date and informed on the current issues and
trends in Orientation and First Year experience, I will join NODA and
participate in the activities of both NODA as a whole and SROW as well.
NODA is the National Orientation Directors Association and through NODA, I
will have the opportunity to not only attend the conferences but to present
as well. I have already begun this journey with NODA as I have a program
proposal in for the 2014 conference in Orlando Florida. SROW is the
Southern Regional Orientation Workshop and it is more Orientation Leader
directed but it to offers opportunities for professional staff members to
become involved in the presentation of topics and networking opportunities
in the field of orientation. I have attended some of these conferences in the
past and they are great networking opportunities for Orientation
professionals and offered specialized programs, lectures and products
targeted to the world of Orientation, New Student Programs and First Year
Experiences.

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

I will also work to present at as many of these conferences as possible

to develop my skills as a speaker and educator within the Student Affairs
profession. Presentations are a large part of professional development in
Student Affairs. Not only can I present to others, but through networking
opportunities, I will be able to collaborate with other professionals on these
presentations. I have presented a total of twelve presentations at various
Student Affairs conferences in the last two years.
The final aspect of my career trajectory that will be essential to my
climbing the ladder to become a Director of First Year Experience is by being
a permanent learner. I crave knowledge and I have such a passion for this
field that I want to soak up all that I can. I am an avid reader and I love to
learn more about the things and topics that I enjoy; I have subscribed to
journals related to the profession. One of the primary and most well-known
of these is The Chronicle of Higher Education. I have a personal subscription
to this journal and I read each issue as it is received. This publication
contains articles from professional in the field as well as information and
research on current issues facing Student Affairs.
One of the hardest things to do is to keep connected to student life
once your job becomes disconnected from students. So many times I hear
administrators use the term student-centered and yet they have little
understanding of what current students think, feel, or want because they
have been removed from the student voice for so long. While this may not

Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

be by choice, it is certainly one of the necessary disadvantages of moving up

the career ladder in Student Affairs; ironically it is also the last thing that
should happen. If I had to pick one goal to overarch my higher education
career, it will be to keep my connection with students, even after I am no
longer in classes or working directly with them. I will do this not only by
keeping abreast of national trends, issues, and generational demographics
through the developmental opportunities discussed above, but also by
talking to and developing relationships with students that my decisions affect
the students within my institution.