Job Hunt: Infinity

I presented during #NASPA16. My presentation did not focus on what I do professionally or my research area. I didn't propose the session, my name wasn't listed with it. But there I was, in front of a room talking about what it means to be authentic and professional while using social media. But here's the rub: I'm having a hard time personally curating my Twitter feed in the past several weeks. My job isn't very difficult, it's basic support staff stuff. But it does become hectic and chaotic with a lot of moving parts. The past few weeks we had many visitors through my office, I worked on multiple projects with people from other offices, and I had meetings of my own to attend. And I got frustrated. There were days when I was angry. There were days that when I got home I wondered why I should go back the next day. Normally, I would tweet about these things as ambiguously as possible but I don't feel "normal" online at the moment A few weeks ag...

I have a jumble of thoughts inspired by a few different conversations on Twitter the past few days. They're a loosely linked, so I figured it would be easiest to just get it all down in one post. Let's see if anyone can follow this mess... Opinions Twitter is a place where we share opinions. Sometimes they're part of a larger, planned discussion. Sometimes one person's thought(s) can cause a flurry of ideas and conversation. We share a lot of opinions. Some people share opinions as if they're facts or as if their experience is the only experience. Anything else is wrong or nonexistent. X is the only way to find a job. Y is the only way I can do Z to be authentic to myself. Going through A and B is the only path to take. My problem with these: everyone's path or story is true to them. We can't devalue someone's path because it's different. My favorite ones have to do with valuing our knowledge and skills: If you don't identify with X, you...

Establish some type of Loner Pool I went to NASPA by myself, without knowing or traveling with anyone (save for my roommate). I think some type of meet up for people who are there by themselves or maybe with one oth er person woul d be great. While it’s nice to see all of the scheduled meet-ups, grad school gatherings, and regional stuff, it’s hard (especially as an introvert) to force myself to go to those things alone. If I was to make connections early in the conference (say the very lonely Sunday afternoon) it might make going to events easier. Re-think the whole schedule So I think the Sunday night start through the Wednesday morning end is too drawn-out and poorly planned. I think the conference’s opening session should take place after lunch on Sunday (say 1pm) and then start sessions after that. Hold sessions Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Tuesday and then hold the closing ceremony Tuesday in the early evening. This would allow those of us taking vacation or trav...

I took vacation time to attend and paid for everything with my own money My roommate reached out to me about sharing a room, we went to grad school together I knew Knowledge Communities existed, but had no idea how to get involved I have no idea how the sessions were organized or categorized I attended two of the first-time attendee things, the “orientation” and the “no host dinner” on Sunday. I found neither very helpful. Region II. I apparently live and work within Region II. There is some organizational structure and conference planned by the region, there were also events. I learned about all of this not from anything at the conference, but because of my roommate. There are sessions for mid-level professionals, chief student affairs officers, and senior student affairs officers. I was registered for TPE and only planned on being at TPE on Sunday or Saturday, however I was offered a position and withdrew from it. Things future blog posts will be about: ...

As this year comes to a close, I want to share some reflections on 2013. I’ve worked hard to make them positive. Some of them were harder than others to make positive. I’ve also added in a few “hopes” (not resolutions!) for 2014. This isn’t an exhaustive list (nor is it in any particular order), just some of the items that made 2013 the year it was. I miss using my brain, but when I started reading for fun again I remembered what it was like to relax. I hope I can continue to make progress on and time for things that make me happy. The universe talks to us, we just have to listen and be brave enough to take the jump.  I’m hoping to listen to it more. I still love watching student succeed. I might not be a professional in Student Affairs, but I love the field and the work we do. I love the change we can make in this world. My husband is a kind, hard-working person who cares a lot about me. We’ve had a seriously questionable year, but we’ve made it through it. We joke ...