Running head: CAREER TRAJECTORY

Career Trajectory Paper

Robert Boyce
Georgia Southern University

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Career Trajectory Paper

I have always had a strong desire to help people and to do what I could to ensure that a
person can see him or herself as a success. Looking forward in my life I hope to achieve this goal
with a role in higher education where I can better help to mentor and encourage students to grow
beyond just what they are learning in the classroom and to become lifelong learners in their days
after college. I have been helped, shaped and molded by my friends and professors throughout
my college days and I believe it fitting to give back through the same channels.
Influences
When I first entered college I did not know much more than business was a good major
and that I wanted to manage a group that would excel beyond any other. As I went through my
classes and stayed in the residence halls I met numerous students from different walks of life. I
also spoke with a few of my instructors and I could see their passion for teaching. This was not
enough to really sway me but it did begin to formulate thoughts. As I finished college and began
work I began to see that what I was taught about business and about management, while being
implemented at work locations, was not being used in all facets. I could see myself asking how
this is possible, and then I realized that not everything is as perfect as college may make it seem.
The conclusion that I came up to was that I needed to take steps to ensure that future
students would be prepared. Not only to seek better for themselves but for me to bring
experiences into the classroom and college that I was not given in its entirety. My colleagues at
work and through school have always told me that I have a knack for listening and giving
instructions that are clear and easy to understand. I believe that by taking the talents that I have
and the skills I have worked on that I could truthfully make a difference for the students of the
future.

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Goals

Short-Term
As of right now I would like to complete my Masters in higher education administration.
I feel as though coupling that degree with my undergraduate degree in business administration
will allow me to enter the field of higher education with some amount of leverage. While
working on my Masters program I am also looking for an entry level position within higher
education. My focus is on adjunct instructor at any community or four year university that is in
the local area. That way I can begin to gain real world experience from instructing students as
well as see what the faculty sees.
I would also like to start investing my time in professional organizations. I will need to
learn from those that have come before and use that information to make my instruction better.
While searching for the best organization that will fit me, I will also search for a mentor to help
me gain knowledge about how to instruct a class. Creating a lesson plan, knowing what to put on
a syllabus or what not to put there, and just the everyday issues that may crop up in teaching are
all areas that I need to learn about.
Long-Term
The goals I have for further down my road will be an expansion of my own education. I
will need to procure a doctorate degree in education and I would also like to get a second
Masters degree in business. By obtaining a doctorate degree I will be able to learn more about
education and it will grant me the ability to teach at an even higher level. I hope to take that
degree and use it to better my chances of reaching my career goal of becoming a college dean or
a director. As a dean I would have far more influence over a large group of students and
depending on the institute that I am working at I will be able to continue instructing in the

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classroom as well. It will take some time to ascend the ranks to reach any of the dean or director
positions but with enough time and patience all is possible.
I plan to begin my doctoral program at least a year or two after the completion of my
Masters program. I want to take some time to obtain experience in the field as well as plot out
ideas for a possible dissertation. Once I enter into my doctoral program I hope to be done with it
within two or three years. This will give me time to work under a professor while obtaining skills
and knowledge from him or her. Another goal of mines is to become a member of the American
Association of University Professors (AAUP). As a member of the group I will be able to gain
insight from other University professors and work towards a brighter future for higher education.
Job Qualifications
Instructor Adjunct
For the future I will need to start somewhere and that will most likely be as an adjunct
instructor at a regional or local school. Currently I am looking at Virginia College which has
multiple campuses within the region. There are various degrees of requirement for an adjunct
instructor. At Virginia College an adjunct in the area of business has the minimum requirements
of having a Bachelors degree in business teacher education or business in general (Virginia
College, 2014). The applicant should also meet the requirements of having a Microsoft
Certification in Word and Excel with at least 2 years of work experiencing using the two
Microsoft office tools (Virginia College, 2014). Beyond those requirements there are the
knowledge and abilities that an applicant must demonstrate such as the ability to use current
teaching methods and being able to work with a diverse group of students.
At Savannah Technical College the requirements for becoming an adjunct are slightly
different. At this institute an applicant seeking to become an adjunct must have at least three

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years in the related field that the person desires to teach (Savannah Tech, 2014). Depending on
the program the applicant will be required to either have a Bachelors or a Masters degree in the
subject and preferences are for those who already have a Masters degree (Savannah Tech, 2014).
In either case a person looking to become an adjunct needs a few years of experience in the field
that he or she will be teaching. This makes it easier for people who do not have any experience in
education to obtain a position that will help to build my own experience while I am working
towards my degree.
Dean of Academic and Student Services
The dean position at John Hopkins University sheds some light on just what is required
of academic deans at schools. There are not absolute set values as each college is different from
another. At John Hopkins University the dean should have robust managerial skills to be able to
juggle the department of student affairs and academic affairs under the Provost of the school
(HigherEdJobs.com, 2014). The dean should also be passionate about the mission of the school
as well able to build partnerships in the decentralized university setting. (HigherEdJobs.com,
2014).
What is interesting about the position at John Hopkins University is that a degree
requirement is not posted under the minimum qualifications. This is probably because the
position is based on experience but the dean based in student affairs at Maricopa Community
Colleges has a different set of requirements. The institute requires that an applicant already have
a Masters degree in a related area, at least three years of experience working with leading
student services staff, and other experience with budget and discipline (HigherEdJobs.com,
2014). Some of the preferences at Maricopa are for at least two years of leadership experience,
two years of experience in an office where all student services are handled, and experience with

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underrepresented students (HigherEdJobs.com, 2014). These are but a few of the qualifications
but I will have to work hard to ensure that I meet most of them by the end of my long-term plan.
Career Plan
Current Strengths and Weaknesses
To become the best at being an academic dean or involved in student affairs I must look
at what abilities I already possess and which ones I can improve upon. To be an effective adjunct
instructor I will need to show good teaching skills as well as the ability to listen and understand
what my students are conveying. Technological skills are also important to handle the
advancements that are being made in the classrooms and offices. Using the ACPA/NASPA
professional competencies list I can better associate my skills with those needed in higher
education In the first competency area of advising and helping I am at least at the basic level, I
can listen actively and I have great problem solving skills (ACPA/NASPA, 2014). I will need to
work on becoming advanced in this skill set though. I need to be able to provide excellent
counseling services as I work towards becoming a dean not only for the students but for the staff
that works alongside me as well.
Leadership is also a quality that is very important for an instructor and a dean. As a leader
I will need to be strong in several areas such as: being able to express my personal values as a
leader, using technology to strengthen my leadership position, comparing leadership
methodologies to regular life and more (ACPA/NASPA, 2014). In this area I know I excel in
being able to use technology to my advantage as well as identifying obstacles and finding ways
around them. I will need to work on creating an atmosphere of ongoing development and training
others to lead as well by giving them more freedom in their work (ACPA/NASPA, 2014).

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Overall I desire to become advanced in all competencies of the ACPA/NASPA so I can contribute
to all areas of education for the students.
Realizing the Goal
In order to obtain this goal I will need to work hard and learn from many different
sources. I will also need to gain a reputation in the education industry by starting to teach and
working with groups to build my curriculum vitae. Going to conferences will also help boost my
understanding of issues facing higher education today and what some have thought up to counter
those issues. Once I begin my doctorate program I will need to find a professor to study under
and to be mentored by.
Conferences. Conferences are an excellent way to obtain massive amount of current
information for the field of higher education. I would like to go to the NASPA annual conference
where I can take in information about the ever changing world of higher education. There are
issues being faced today with new technology and the greater scrutiny from the public and
government. How higher education adapts will be a large part of the next NASPA conference in
2015 and I believe the information in that conference will be valuable to me as I move forward
(NASPA, 2014). Another important conference to me would be The Curriculum Conference: Re
(Invent + Think + Design). This conference would help me with learning new innovative ways to
stay in the classroom and present the information to future students that will keep them engaged.
Professional Organizations. I believe that joining the AAUP will be an asset to me as I
begin my work towards becoming a professor and a dean. I also think that Association to
Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB) would be another group that would help me
move ahead. Not only is my undergraduate degree in business but with a higher education

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administration degree I would have a better understanding of business schools and how they
operate within the world of education and business.
Collaboration. Collaboration in higher education is important. Not only will the sharing
of ideas help to push the entire system forward, but it will also be useful for molding my own
training and teaching style. I will be able to speak with multiple people from different and similar
departments taking in the information and bouncing ideas off of them. Through this forging I will
be able to hone my skills and presentation for the future students. I will also be able to take some
of the ideas that the students bring up to me and use those in future classes. Learning is not
restricted to just my peers but also those ahead of me and those that are coming up in society. I
hope to share and learn as much as I can when I start my first job in higher education. Of course
Im also learning much now from the classmates that I have currently and those that have been
working in education for years.

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References

APCA Competencies. (2014). Professional Competencies. Retrieved from:

http://www.acpa.nche.edu/professional-competencies
Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business. (2014). Retrieved from:
http://www.aacsb.edu/about/
HigherEdJobs. (2014). Other Deans. Retrieved from:
http://www.higheredjobs.com/executive/search.cfm?JobCat=254
NASPA. (2014). Navigating with Courage. Retrieved from:
http://conference2015.naspa.org/program
NASPCA Competencies. (.2014). Professional Competencies. Retrieved from:
https://www.naspa.org/about/student-affairs
Savannah Technical College. (2014). Part Time Positions. Retrieved from:
http://www.savannahtech.edu/about-stc/campus-information/administrativeoffices/human-resources/part-time-positions/
Virginia College. (2014). Adjunct Instructor Business. Retrieved from:
http://www.ecacolleges.com/