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An update on my job search.

Hit or Miss

An update on my job search.

I interviewed with 4 schools last week at a conference. None of those interviews went particularly well.

I haven’t heard anything back from those 4 schools, nor the school I recently conducted a phone interview with. I’ve got applications out to 5 other schools that haven’t even asked to set up a phone interview.

Was I overconfident? Not confident enough? Was I not a good match for the schools (or vice-versa)? Who knows. What I do know is that my lack of a Masters degree in Student Affairs is going to hold me back from ever being able to be hired at certain schools.

So I’m at a crossroads. Should I go back to school full time and get a Masters in Student Affairs? Take some classes on a part-time basis? Or just write off any school that is too blind to see the relevance of my experience? It’s too late in the year to apply to a graduate program, so that decision will have to come in the future. Right now I’ll be happy just to find a job period.

My strongest job prospects right now look to be in the South. But after 10 lonely years in the rural Midwest, I’m not looking to repeat the pattern in the rural South. When I started this job search, I decided I wanted to move to an urban area in the Northeast (a definite step outside of my comfort zone). I’m afraid that if I don’t make good on this attempt now to shake up my life and move to the “city” while I’m still on the back side of thirty (and can take advantage of live-in hall director positions while I’m still interested in living in the dorms), I may never get that experience.

I will get a job somewhere. The job market is decent enough and I have 3 years of experience in a field with a lot of drop-out. I’m just not going to know where I’ll be going until much later than I anticipated.

3 responses so far (Respond)

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You’ve never considered heading west? Denver, Portland, Seattle, San Diego? An urban center with many small, liberal arts colleges?

tim | 3 Apr 2003
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I feel like I’m pushing it as it is, living in Missouri. I’ve never lived this side of the Missouri River before. And if I move any further west, I might fall off the edge of the planet.

Matt | 3 Apr 2003
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One should point out that LA or Portland or something would present many of the same benifits as the east coast, but with slightly better weather…

Sam Kleinman | 5 Apr 2003