Learn from those around you, Get Involved- My advice as a Psuedo-Professional

Hey Everyone,
 In my quest to find my fit within my profession, I am learning more and more that my validity and my confidence is born out of the connections and network that I have been able to surround myself in. What set me on this path was getting involved in the associations that support professional development within my field.

Whether there are one or two, or many organizations, connect with organizations and associations that are going to provide you with a vast amount of outreach and a vast amount of experiences to learn from.

I say this coming off of a three -day regional conference. I am reminded of how energized I feel post conferences, having been able to sit in workshops and meet with colleagues near and far to share our experiences with. Learn from challenges and successes that others have experienced in the hopes to transforming your work environment and the outcomes you perceive to occur.

I am fascinated by my ability, having doubted my abilities in this field, to keep up with the pace and flow of others speaking about big themes that we are seeing on our campuses. In these experiences you can meet others on how they got into the roles they currently have. It's a community of people who are looking to give a little bit more. We all come for a common purpose to build ourselves, the places we work and the people we work with up, and to that we all have our role to play.

So whether it is the conferences themselves, the small communities that you can get involved with, the point is get involved. Take time to learn from those around you and be open to new experiences.

“(Insert Institution name here)” Bubble: Not just a student dilemma

Hi everyone:
 I don’t know about you, but here at my Institution there is this running joke that undergraduate students never get out of the “Bubble”. Basically, that within the confines of our campus community and public transportation services, the student experience is limited to the network at our institution.
 I used to admit that I was a victim of this, my relationships at a point were restricted to the people I interacted with here at school. I was an RA, my one off-campus position, I left when a better offer came up INSIDE the University. Everyday was a campus experience. I rarely ventured out past the familiar streets of our small neighborhood and if I did, it was often with members of my RA staff or classmates.
I thought the perspectives of the “Bubble” were only an undergraduate experience. But I am seeing that the same things is true for professionals here at the Institution as well. For one, there are many alum, like myself who now work for the University. The turn around was pretty quick as well. Graduate and then transition into a professional Job, or while still in school, transitioning into a part-time position until you have accumulated enough hours to become a full-time member of the Administration. In that sense, we are sucking on the life blood that is this Institution’s “Bubble.” An experience that can be taxing, stressful and all together overwhelming.
 But more important than that is the Administration, the Faculty and staff who get sucked into the comfort of this experience. Being a part of a “Bubble” is safety. We are told by our supervisors to challenge ourselves, to open up our experiences. To network with other Institutions, attend these conferences and webinars. Email this member across the country etc. But sometimes these same figureheads are not taking their own advice, or seeking to move to the next level. As Higher Ed Professionals, I do not think it is bad for us to spread our experiences to different outlets. But I have seen that much like corporations, people in Higher Ed tend to stay in the same field, or department or position for 10+ years before they move into something else. I gather that experience is crucial to be an Administrator, but shouldn’t we become more flexible in our own professional development, especially in a field that is constantly changing?
I also think that at a certain point in our lives, people start to believe that the experiences that college students have, traveling, picking up this subject matter on a whim, changing their major or discipline, are not the same that we can have as we get older. I know that I am a life-long learner. I know that I have skills in many different areas outside my major, but I also know that I don’t want to be a Political Practitioner all the days of my life. That is an end goal and along the way I am providing a self-taught education through my experiences at a Higher Ed Institution.

As Higher Ed professionals, I think it is wise for us to take the same advice that we give to our proteges, take risks. Continue to stay relevant, “get out and see the world” and not from the perspective of the “Bubble.”

What does it mean being a Pseudo- Professional?

(Originally posted in July of 2011)

I am a Graduate student who goes to school at my top choice institution. I graduated in 2010 with my Bachelor’s Degree and began a graduate program the following Fall at the same institution. Not only do I go to school here, but I also work here part-time. Navigating these roles is a little unique. There are areas where it is on me to be a little more proactive and learn to network and balance the personal relationships I have acquired in a new light. There are pieces of it where I am the young adult, wishing my parents would stop treating me like a kid, and there are moments when I want someone to just hold my hand and walk me through the process.

 To say I am familiar with the culture here is an understatement. I know this institution like the back of my hand. I have been in several student leadership positions, working with our Office of Campus Life, Housing and Dining Programs and a series of other offices continue to develop my leadership. I have sat on boards with the Dean of Students and the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies. I have created a great network of mentors and role models, people who have guided me through my transition as a transfer student here, through my graduation and then through my application, admittance and acceptance into the graduate program here.

 Being a Pseudo-Professional doesn't mean that I am not at all acclimated to the culture, the community or the mission and vision of the Institution; it means more that on a personal level I am faced with confidence challenges in my ability to perform among individuals who I have looked up to and are now my colleagues.

On another personal level, I have to also learn to balance my relationships, people who were once my friends are people that I supervise. They are people I advise and people that now because of the role I have, can’t interact with them on the same level that I used to.

As it relates to my colleagues, it means treating me as someone who they can learn from and continue to mentor and teach in my new professional role, without thinking of me as the young student they once guided through undergrad.

There are a lot of areas of this new experience and there are pieces of it that drive me crazy, so welcome to the world I live in. Hopefully you can gather some insight and learn something new about yourself or another person in an experience similar to mine.