Running head: Career Trajectory

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Career Trajectory Paper

Jennifer Duncan
Georgia Southern University
EDLD 7430: American Higher Education

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Career Trajectory
Before Coming Into Higher Education

What brought me to this point in my career and education is an interesting and non-linear
path. I think that many people start out with a dream and take detours along the way or even
realize that maybe what they thought they wanted isnt really what they thought it would be.
Life has a way of throwing us curveballs and some know how to dodge them and some know
how to hit them out of the park. For me that curveball was being underemployed and unhappy
with my life because I knew that there was more out there than the pitch I had been dealt. After
much discomfort, prayer, consultation, and research I stepped out by faith and uprooted my
entire life to see what else was out there.
My Time as an Undergrad
I received my Bachelors of Arts degree in Film with a minor in Mass Communications in
2008 and believed I was done with school forever. I had spent 17 years straight in school and
was ready to get out into the field and start working on my career. Unfortunately the recession
began as I graduated with my undergraduate degree and jobs in the field of production were hard
to find while I was living in Orland, like everywhere else in the nation. I was forced to move
back home to Jacksonville to live with my parents and figure out where I was going with my life
because I knew that the market was almost nonexistent for what I wanted to do. I was eventually
able to find a job using my skills at a non-profit organization and a small television station,
which I was grateful for because it gave me a great foundation and experience in the field.
After graduation. After working for a couple of years and being complacent where I
was I was suddenly laid off from my full-time job. Most people would panic after hearing that
news but I was surprisingly calm. I knew that this wasnt where I wanted to spend the rest of my

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life and I almost thought of it as a sign that it was time for me to branch out into a bigger market.
Fortunately I still had another job that I was working part-time so I wasnt completely jobless as
I began my search on the next step of my career. During this time I became complacent again
and remained home in my comfort zone for another couple of years because I was too afraid to
just leave everything and start from scratch.
During this time I was still working on my craft and doing research in the field and
realized that Georgias film and television market was on the rise. It became apparent to me that
it was time to leave Florida and see what was out there. I had a moment of clarity where I
thought its now or never! I had no major obligations or responsibilities like a husband or
children, I wasnt able to land a full-time job after years of searching, and my living situation
became very uncomfortable so I used all of this as motivation to move to the Peach State. I
didnt go completely blindly though because I had a very generous friend that allowed me to live
with her until I got on my feet, so to speak, that I wouldnt start me new journey homeless.
My Transition Into Higher Education
I felt like I hit the ground running when I crossed state lines because my very first job
was as an extra on a television show at Tyler Perry Studios only 4 days after moving to Georgia.
I felt amazing because to me this was the crme de la crme of the industry and I saw this as an
immediate sign that I made the right move. From then it seemed like I was on a different movie
or television set every few days and I got to experience what it was like to be in the industry that
I wanted to be a part of for so long. Days on set can be very long and tiring and jobs arent very
consistent, it was then that I quickly learned the importance of networking because it was almost
impossible to find a stable job in this industry when industry insiders didnt know who I was.

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After months of different odd jobs I was able to find something more stable and less hectic
working as an administrative assistant at a newer small college.
As I began my new career in higher education I felt like a fish out of water. I had never
worked in a college environment and everyone I worked with was so experienced and used
terminology that I was unfamiliar with. I found that I had a new passion and that was helping
students. I was able to interact with students on a daily basis and witness how my coworkers
tried to help them as much as they could and I thought this was admirable. Ive always been the
type that loved helping others and to be in a position to put students on a better path made me
feel like I was making a difference in the world.
Professional Development
Im the type of person that likes to excel in whatever I do so I took every opportunity that
was given to me to participate in professional development. Although I knew that I wouldnt be
an administrative assistant for the rest of my career, I took the job seriously because there were
many skill sets that I didnt have but wanted to gain because I knew it could only make me better
in the long run. I networked with other administrative assistants across campus to learn about
policies and procedures, I became a member of the Georgia College Personnel Association
(GCPA), and then came upon an opportunity to participate in the Student Affairs Foundations
Institute (SAFI). SAFI is a three-day conference, sponsored by GCPA, for student affairs
professionals that dont have a masters degree in the field that would like to learn the basics of
student affairs. This weekend-long conference was a crash course in all things student affairs
and I learned a lot although it was very overwhelming.
I completed this institute the semester before I began grad school and Im grateful for that
opportunity because it gave me the foundation I needed to prepare me to pursue my Masters of

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Education in Higher Education Administration. When I graduated in 2008 I really believed I

was done with school, I would always tell people that the only way I would go back to school
was if it was paid for by my job. Who knew that seven years later I would be in that position
because of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) provided through the University System of
Georgia (USG). When I found out that working full-time for a USG institution would allow me
the opportunity to earn a degree, basically for free, I couldnt pass it up. Then began my search
of which degree to pursue, and it wasnt an easy task.
Beginning Graduate School
I was delighted to have the opportunity to go back to school because Im a student at
heart, always wanting to learn something new. I actually began researching programs outside of
the higher education field because I figured this would be my chance to gain some new
knowledge in a field that I was interested in but had little to no experience in. I looked into
programs such as journalism, marketing, and digital media but unfortunately none of those
programs had night or weekend classes that would fit my current work schedule. Then I did
some research within my division and sought the advice of several of my colleagues that were
currently in grad school. After all of this research I settled on the Masters of Education in
Higher Education Administration program at Georgia Southern University because of the
convenience of the program being online, the great advice given by my colleagues and because I
believe that it would help guide me into the specific area that I wanted to serve in within this
field and realize my career goal.
My Experience in Higher Education
I never thought that I would have a career in higher education, but after experiencing it
and what Ive learned so far, Ive seen how I can grow and continue to help students. At this

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point I know from working in a student conduct office that I wouldnt want to work in this area
because I dont like disciplining students, Im more of a nurturer and wanting to help students in
other ways if they stray from a straight and narrow path. Some of the other areas that I know I
probably wouldnt go into are counseling and disability services because I dont have the
certifications or the experience necessary to be in those fields. I do, however, believe that there
are a couple of areas that I could flourish in and that would be in wellness or career advising.
Im very passionate about health and wellbeing and that passion can help drive me towards that
career and I am very interested in learning more about career advising because after all isnt that
what we get an education for, a career?
My Possible Career
In order to be successful, as a career advisor for example, Ill need to do research within
the field and even get a mentor. Fortunately Ive been able to get to know the staff of the Career
Development and Advising Center at the institution where I work and its been helpful to get the
knowledge and insight that theyve given me. The director of this department is so experienced
and knowledgeable about what she does and would make a great mentor if I decided that I
wanted to pursue that particular field full-time. Whenever their department has events on
campus that are open to the public I try to come out to support and to learn about the impact
theyre making on the student body. One specific event, the institutions charter career fair,
really opened up my eyes to the possibilities of pursuing a career in this field.
Before the career fair came to fruition there were several steps that led up to that and I
was privy to some of that information because I volunteered to help out with this event. Some of
the things that I learned were how to contact potential employers, creating thank-you gifts for
those employers, ordering supplies for hospitality and how to market to students in order to

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prepare them for being successful at a career fair. It was great to see all of the students that
attended in their business attire because Im used to seeing them in very casual attire everyday, it
showed that they put in the extra effort to make a good first impression and it also showed that
they were attentive to the dress code rules that were laid out in all of the marketing materials.
Seeing how this event came together and how grand it was helped to convince me that this could
be a possible career for me. I believe in the importance of having a student come in to the career
center to have their resume and cover letter polished, teaching them how to dress professionally,
and how to conduct themselves at a career fair so that they can land a job.
Requirements
According to the website Higher Ed Jobs, the required job qualifications for a career
advisor, for example, at Savannah College of Art and Design are a Bachelors degree with
experience in career advising, recruiting or related industry; student-centered focus;
demonstrated proficiency with information management systems or other Web-based
technology; and proven ability to develop relationships with students, alumni, employers,
faculty, and colleagues (HigherEdJobs.com, 2015). The preferred job qualification is having a
Masters degree, which I am pursuing now so that will help me to stand out as a more desirable
candidate. At this point in my career I dont have all of the required experience to be a career
advisor but now that I know this information it helps me to figure out how I can get to that place
of being qualified. I dont think this will be a hard task at all because I already have a great
rapport with the career advisors at my institution and this will make it easier for me to find an
institution where I can serve during my practicum. Ive already received advice from my direct
supervisor that I should do my practicum in an area where I would like to eventually work

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because Ill gain the knowledge, experience, and network that Ill need in order to transition into
my career after graduating.
My Goals
My short-term goals are to complete my Masters degree and continuing to network
within this field by attending conferences held by GCPA. Being a member of this organization
will help me to stay current on issues facing higher education and networking in this field, as
with any industry, can help me to find a job. My long-term goals are to be happy and flourishing
in a career in higher education in some aspect. Ideally I would love to be able to combine both
of my passions, the arts and higher education. For example, positions such as an Audio Visual
Tech or a Media Specialist at an institution of higher education are ways for me to combine both
of my passions.
Job Qualifications
According to Georgia Gwinnett Colleges job website, some of the job qualifications for
their Audio Visual Tech include video editing using Final Cut Pro; experience with live event
support; and experience in integrating and programming AV systems (GGC.edu, 2015).
According to the Higher Ed Jobs website, some of the qualifications to be a Media Specialist, for
example, at Clark Atlanta University include being customer service oriented; excellent social
and communication skills; working well with diverse populations; professional Macintosh
experience; and proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (HigherEdJobs.com, 2015).
Based off of these qualifications I would be an excellent candidate for these positions because of
the years of experience I have in the industry I was in before moving into higher education. This
to me is great news because it proves that I can work in higher education while doing something
I am also passionate about.

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My Strengths and Weaknesses

I believe my personal strengths are my love for working with people on an individual
basis and my passion for serving and helping someone to achieve a goal. I believe my
professional strengths are the fact that Im pursuing an advanced degree in this field, my actual
experience in the field, and being able to see how certain things work first-hand. My
professional weaknesses, at this point, are the fact that Im still very new to this field so Im not
as knowledgeable about some of the politics that go on within higher education. A personal
weakness of mine would be my fear of what students are capable of in this day and age of cyberbullying, mental disorders, and the violent results of the two. This fear has caused me to be
hesitant at times when interacting with a student that I know has a mental health issue because I
think about the news headlines of acts of violence caused by students with mental health issues
on campuses such as Virginia Tech.
Conclusion
My personal philosophy on student affairs is that every practitioner should have the
mindset that students come first. Students should be a top priority because if it wasnt for them
we wouldnt have jobs. Weve all been in their position and should remember that we needed
guidance at that age and time in our lives. The foundation of student affairs was to develop the
student holistically whereas academic affairs might not have. Our motivation as practitioners
should be the satisfaction of seeing a student you helped succeed.
My journey into higher education wasnt linear or traditional but probably not too
different from how others got into the field. Working in a college environment sparked
something in me and created a new passion. I went from working in production to higher
education but along the way Ive learned that I can have a career where I combine both of my

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passions. I never thought that Id land into this field but Im glad I did because of the direct
impact I get to make on the lives of the future generation. As I continue through my graduate
program I hope to gain new experiences, constantly learn, and remain open to the opportunities
that lie ahead.

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References

Georgia Gwinnett College. (2015). Audio visual tech i job details. Retrieved from
https://jobs.ggc.edu/job-details?jobID=17318&job=audio-visual-tech-i
Higher Ed Jobs. (2015). Career advisor job details. Retrieved from
https://www.higheredjobs.com/search/details.cfm?JobCode=176057162&Title=Career%
20Adviser
Higher Ed Jobs. (2015). Media specialist job details. Retrieved from
https://www.higheredjobs.com/search/details.cfm?JobCode=176052202&Title=Media%2
0Specialist%20%28021%2D15%29