Student affairs professionals (#SAPros) change schools like NBA players change teams. It’s expected. Like NBA free agents, your entire profile: past experience, education, current age, and skill set, determine the number of options available to you, and like an NBA free agent, you have to be very discerning as to what is the best for you, personally and professionally. When you are a young professional on to your first or second position, the process can be both exciting and overwhelming, but it’s vital to keep your bearings to make the smartest decision, not the most emotional. As some of the recent NBA free agent signings can show us, there are some critical factors to keep in mind before making a final decision.
The school that likes you the most, may not be the best fit for you.
While appealing on the surface, relying on this factor means making an overly emotional decision. Several teams were falling over themselves to secure the rights to LaMarcus Aldridge this summer, but many of those teams never stood a chance because, while respectable in their own right, weren’t appealing options to Aldridge. The lesson that LaMarcus learned – you don’t have to buy everything that’s being sold to you.
The biggest school isn’t necessarily the best fit for you.
The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers used to be the most desirable franchises in the NBA a decade ago. On the strength of their physical attractiveness, they were legitimate players to lure any free agent away. As an SAPro, it’s easy to get distracted by a recently renovated apartment, a variety of on-campus dining options on-campus, huge library, etc. They can offer all the ancillary perks of being part of a big university, but it’s going to be tougher, though not impossible, to feel connected to the department, or feel as though you’re making a discernible impact.
How you fit on a team is vital
DeAndre Jordan walked away from the opportunity to be a superstar with Dallas, for a more comfortable environment, on a team where he was more comfortable with his role with the Los Angeles Clippers. This is what I call “The DeAndre Factor.” The people you will directly work with and the work environment will play a big factor in how much you enjoy coming to work everyday. It’s why I consider the lunch/dinner with colleagues to be the most important part of a job interview, because these are the people you will be working with the closest. While it’s still an interview setting, you can at least get a sense of who the people are, and how you fit in with them in such a setting. Does it feel relaxing? Are you comfortable being yourself? Do you have to force conversation, or laugh at jokes you don’t find funny? If this part of the interview is painful, imagine working with them everyday! If there is zero chemistry from the start, even in an “interview” setting, it may be months of awkward collaborations and conversations ahead for you.
Discussion
This all comes down to what your priorities and needs are; however, you also have to be forward thinking in anticipating what your priorities and needs will be in the future. I have found that where you live, whether you’re live-on or not, is most important, because that’s your life outside of work, one you must preserve and take care of. Next comes having the support of your colleagues/supervisors. Are they going to look out for you personally and professionally? Lastly; what new professional opportunities will this job bring you? For some, this last point may be 1 or 2 on their priority list, but just based off my own experiences, these three priorities will most preserve your happiness in life. Ultimately, you have to have a fully defined priority list based off what’s happening in your life first, then your career. It’s a unique job working in student affairs, but it’s still just a job at the end of the day.
