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Career Planning: Past, Present, and Future Jill M. Matthews Georgia Southern University

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A career in clinical psychology in a university setting was always my plan. My father recently retired from his position as a clinical psychologist in the higher education setting which greatly influenced my choice for my future career from a very young age. I always had a plan for each milestone of life but I quickly learned that the only constant in life is change. The first major change that impacted my career path was transferring from the University of Georgia back to Statesboro to enroll at Georgia Southern University. I tried to stick to my plan without reevaluating what I wanted out of my college experience and ended up very unhappy with my choice in Athens, Georgia. As a native of Statesboro, Georgia, Georgia Southern University was familiar and within my comfort zone. I majored in psychology and in three short years walked across the stage at Paulson Stadium in May 2010. A few events occurred while in school that caused me to reevaluate my desire to become a psychologist. I had many research projects and interaction with individuals in my desired field who spoke of the tireless hours spent on research, writing papers, and working in a clinic. I gradually began to realize that the amount of time and effort it would take to succeed as a clinical psychologist could outweigh the benefits. Studying abroad with the Georgia Institute of Technology the summer of my second year also provided me an insight into my vision for the futures. Many students in the program were very different and had experienced so much more in their college experience than I had. I also wanted to take time off from school before going to graduate school. These experiences and realizations led to me reconsider my future plans. With a little soul searching, I discovered that I wanted to try something completely different that still involved working with people and would relocate me to Atlanta. When Georgia Southern University held its job fair in the fall, I went with a friend who was interested in marketing. She spoke with a Target recruiter and I jokingly asked what Target might have available for psychology majors. The recruiter began asking me questions and then asked to set up an interview with me. The next morning I walked into the Career Center, an area of Student Affairs I had never utilized, and went through a brief interview for a Senior Team Leader position. The interviewer said she would recommend me for continuing onto the next steps in the interview process. Six weeks later I was in Atlanta at a Target interviewing with their

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District Manager. The staff at Target all spoke of the great work environment and fun coworkers. The role of the Senior Team Leader was described as a management role and one in which a person could grow and develop. This opportunity was very different from anything I had done before and the ability to move to Atlanta to be closer to friends, and my now fianc was something I was very excited about. Three weeks after the final round of interviews I was offered the position. What transpired after my first day changed my life plan forever. In red and khaki, I nervously rode the escalator into the store on my first day of work. The next three months included a lack of training, poor management, sexual harassment, and genuine depression. I finally confided in the interim Store Manager and decided to quit after only three months and without a backup plan. I had saved enough money for three months of living expenses which meant I was applying for about ten jobs per day. A month and a half went by and I began to be less selective in the job search and application process. I was contacted by a staff agency to make a video resume and have my cover letters critiqued. An interview was scheduled within three days and I had a job offer as a secretary for a commercial real estate firm. This was the first open window to many closed doors. Almost a week later, the Assistant to the Director of Undergraduate Admission at the Georgia Institute of Technology called me for a phone interview. She happened to be a Georgia Southern University alumna and worked at the Campus Recreation Center like I did while in school. The position was for the front desk assistant for the Office of Undergraduate Admission. When you grow up in a household with two college educated parents, one an accountant and the other a clinical psychologist, it is hard to imagine taking a position as a secretary or front desk assistant. I accepted the front desk assistant position with the Georgia Institute of Technology and began working right before winter break.The office environment was the antithesis of my experience at Target. My supervisors began to give me additional responsibilities outside of the typical front desk assistant. Not only was I being trained in our communications system, our application software and our admission presentations, I was also developing mentoring relationships with several veterans in the office. In addition to working with experience higher education professionals, I became aware of the many benefits to working in

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higher education that could aid my professional development. The Tuition Assistance Program is probably the greatest perk of working for a school within the University System of Georgia. After working in the system for six months, your institution will pay the tuition for you to enroll at any school within the University System of Georgia. I felt that this was my opportunity to get back into psychology and go to graduate school part time. I began applying once I was eligible for the program but was denied admission into a psychology program by Georgia State University. Believing it was a divine sign that I was not supposed to pursue this career, I asked my colleagues which graduate program I should investigate. One of my colleagues was enrolled in the online Masters in Higher Education Administration through Georgia Southern University and another colleague graduated from the program a few years earlier. The flexibility in the program definitely appealed to me and I knew I would be able to get class work done while I was at the front desk. However, after applying and getting accepted to the program, our office went through a reconstruction. This reconstruction meant a job opening for an Admission Counselor position. My mentor, Val Mack and several others in the office encouraged me to apply for this new role. The responsibilities of this position included traveling for recruitment, processing an application from beginning to end, and other duties as assigned. I applied and was offered the position after five months of working at the front desk. Factors contributing to this promotion I believe include developing a relationship with my supervisor and mentor, educating myself about the field of higher education by signing up for daily e-newsletters and reading articles, and showing initiative. As a rookie in the field of higher education, I have not been able to join professional organizations such as the Southern Association for College Admission Counselors or the Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers but hope to attend many of the conferences hosted by these organizations. A perk of traveling for recruitment for this position is that I am able to network with other admission counselors that are members of many professional organizations as well as the high school counselors I interact with. It is also beneficial to my professional development that enrollment services is an integral part of driving the success of an institution. Many departments rely on the quality of students we admit and the

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data we process to run their programs. This enables me to work and communicate with many different campus partners throughout the year. The exposure to various departments in Academic Affairs as well as Student Affairs has led me to researching positions that may interest me for the future. As admission counselors are typically traveling frequently and hold unusual hours, many people do not stay in the profession very long. As a Millennial, most people would expect me to try and get promotions or raises very quickly as millennials are more driven by money and power than being attached or loyal to one company (Chau, 2012). I wish I could say that I am not extremely driven but after a quick promotion early in my career I have to admit that I have become anxious to see what the future holds for my professional career. In my current role, I have sought out additional responsibilities and training opportunities to aid in my professional development which will hopefully make me more competitive in the job market. Developing mentoring relationships is also a critical component to my professional development plan; however, I realize I need to develop relationships outside of my department (Vick & Furlong, 2012). The brevity of my professional career and change in professional aspirations has made it difficult for me to pinpoint specific positions I would want to pursue. As a 23 year old woman, there are many different possibilities for my future. I hope to stay in higher education but possibly move into student affairs. In order to hold a higher position in student affairs, I will need to graduate from my Masters program. Most positions in higher education are Masters preferred. I hope to be able to complete Georgia Southern Universitys Masters in Higher Education Administration by next December. In that time I will also strive to gain additional experience and reach out to individuals who have had many years in higher education. My long term goals include progressing in enrollment services by getting promoted to Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission. However many factors can influence my career plans. As a recent graduate and new to higher education, I may find that I have a passion in another field. It is also possible that in a few years if I decide to have a family, I choose to take time off from work. There are many options available for a young, driven, and passionate woman. The most important long term goal for my career plans is that I find a career in which I

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can be happy. After a terrible experience working for a big box retailer, I now realize the importance of loving what you do.

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References

Chau, J. (2012, March 15). Millennials are more 'generation me' than 'generation we'. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Millennials-Are-More/131175/ Vick, J., & Furlong, J. (2012, May 2). Seeking the mentors you need. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Seeking-the-Mentors-You-Need/131747/