This post was written by Meredith Davis for The Chronicle of Higher Education. It lays out a framework for administrators in higher education who are considering a career change.
The hardest professional and personal decision I had to make was to end my career working on college campuses. I did this very recently — shutting the door on more than 20 years as a student-affairs administrator to become an executive search consultant.
Working at a university was not just a job for me but a calling. I am a first-generation college student whose career may not have happened without the mentoring, support, and commitment I received at my alma mater. The very reason I became a student-affairs administrator was to pay forward all of the grace, support, tears, dreams, and hopes that had been invested in my development. Higher education changed my life.
So leaving that world was like losing a piece of myself somewhere, knowing I would never feel the same way or experience any professional and personal venture like that again.
Yet I left anyway, for a lot of good reasons. These days, many others are weighing the same stay-or-go decision. This article is for those on the fence. The nation is shifting, and people and organizations are redefining work-life balance. As many professionals in higher education ride the Great Resignation wave, it is important to take the time for some serious self-reflection. Leaving one career and moving into another — regardless of stage in life or profession — has social, financial, and personal implications.
My transition away from a career in student affairs took close to three years. I would not recommend you take quite that long. Here are some key factors to consider before you make the leap:
