1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a Director of Student Services do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Higher Education
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What is your job title?
Director of Student Services
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I work at a state university with an enrollment of over 40,000 students. There are 27,000 students and over 11600 faculty members on my campus alone.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
8 months in this position; 5.5 years with the university
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
37.5
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Primarily, I am an academic advisor. I also coordinate anything to do with graduation and plan major events for the college.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
27,000
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
33000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
Medical/dental insurance, retirement, disability insurance
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
well-compensated
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes, I work with students, faculty, and staff on a daily basis. In general, I enjoy this very much. I'm given the opportunity, daily, to provide guidance to some amazing students. I sometimes find it difficulty to work with faculty members. I think they tend to be very involved in their own academic pursuits and less concerned with the mechanics of running a university. Honestly, I can't say I blame them--I'd probably be the same way. Problems in this area tend to be relatively few, however, and this does not have a significant impact on my job satisfaction.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
(There are no instructions for this box. My guess is I'm supposed to elaborate on the above questions.) I work very closely with all of my co-workers and supervisors. All seem appreciative of my knowledge and background, just as I am of their's. This is a very laid-back, relaxed atmostphere. We all have our individual responsibilities but frequently call on each other for help or advice.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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3 Income
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1 Work Environment - co-workers
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5 Work Environment - supervisors
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7 Benefits
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8 Hours
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4 Level of responsibility
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2 The actual "work" you do at your job
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6 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Entry level jobs in students services pay little and the work can be very demanding. As with most careers, it will take patience and dedication to reach higher-level positions. The ability to learn new things quickly and good communication skills are key to any job in this field. For an advisor position, a master degree in student services is generally preferred. An undergraduate degree (in nearly any subject) plus 3-5 years of experience in student services is also acceptable. A masters degree with accompanying part-time work or an internship in a student services office would probably be ideal. Perhaps even more important is to acquaint yourself with people in this field. My campus connections were a major influence in getting my current job.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
You must be able to communicate effectively to a wide variety of people. A large university comes with a vast amount of information--rules, regulations, exceptions, and everything in between. It takes years to fully grasp some of these things. With your co-workers, it is important to form strong working relationships. This holds true for people within your own office and, perhaps more importantly, with people outside your office. For instance, I can't do my job without the help of those people in the Registrar's office. Therefore, my relationship with them is crucial. Organizational skills are also key. As part of my job, I plan events for hundreds of people. If I can't keep track of catering and equipment and room reservations, these events will not be successful.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Absolutely. I think a masters degree is preferred. An undergraduate degree is acceptable with a certain level of work experience.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Learn everything you can about your college/university and your individual department. If you can, learn about other departments, offices, and programs. The more you know about your school, the better advice you can give students, parents, faculty, and other staff. Have patience with all people. Understand that faculty may not always be the best at communicating, but they rarely mean anything personal if they say something that sounds bad.
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