I am new to this so I’m not sure how promotions or job reclassifications work SO PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE!!!! I know it’s long 😂

I’m in my late 20s and work as a Community Engagement Coordinator at a small private university.

Until recently, my department was under Student Affairs. A few months ago, we moved to Academic Affairs, which came with a new set of leadership. Around the same time, my department director left.
When my director left, the VP I was reporting to asked me to continue handling several things that had previously been part of the director’s responsibilities while the university figured out what it was going to do with the department. I agreed because I understood that we were in a transition and wanted to keep things moving.

Some of the things I was asked to take on included planning our service-learning/alternative break trips, updating the website and marketing materials, meeting with community partners, planning the upcoming year’s calendar, developing work-study student job descriptions, and other day-to-day operational work. Basically making sure everything was planned for AY 26-27

As part of the university updating everyone’s job descriptions, I was asked to rewrite/update mine based on what I actually did. I submitted that, and leadership then revised it further to reflect the new structure and additional responsibilities.

HERE IS WHERE I AM FRUSTRATED!

About a week ago, the university announced that they are essentially combining Community Engagement and 2 other departments under one larger area. Instead of hiring a new director for Community Engagement, they promoted the existing director from 1 department to an Executive Director role overseeing the combined area.

The Executive Director will handle things like the overall budget/financial management and higher-level oversight, but I’m still expected to handle much of the day-to-day work for Community Engagement. I’m also now supervising work-study students, managing/revamping student leadership programming, planning alternative service-break trips, managing community partnerships, programming, etc.

The frustrating part is that my revised job description reflects some of these additional responsibilities, but my position is still a Coordinator position. I was also told in writing that my current salary and job description will remain in place for the duration of the year when the VP emailed me my new job description.

I have a meeting with leadership today, and I’m trying to figure out how to approach it. I don’t want to come across as entitled or as if I’m claiming to do the Executive Director’s job. I just want my title and compensation to reasonably reflect the work I’m actually being asked to do.

Hi, I am an international student, and next year I will start my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. How can I get a full scholarship as a teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA) in a Master of Science (M.S.) program with a thesis in electrical engineering in the USA?

TLDR: Started a job outside of higher ed 2.5 months ago, but miss working in student affairs so much. My current job is good, but I can't stop thinking about going back to student affairs. Feel conflicted and would like any advice.

Hey all, I hope this doesn't violate rule #4 (vague posts), because I am not completely sure why I am sharing this. I think it might be because I do not know who else to share it with? Maybe for advice? So here is what's going on....

In March, I was rejected from a GA position in res life. I was highly sought after but was not chosen because they believed the position would stunt my growth. I was an internal candidate, so maybe they heard I was a few rounds deep for full-time res life roles elsewhere.

Few days after the rejection from the GA role, I withdrew all my student affairs applications and accepted a full-time job in another field. I wasn't acting in the heat of the moment, I just truly thought I needed a break from student affairs.

Fast forward, I have started my new job about 2.5 months ago, and I enjoy it! Amazing people, work is enjoyable, great work-life balance, etc. (side note: the work-life balance is almost too good LOL....in addition to pursing my master's part-time, I added on another part-time job because I feel like I have too much time on my hands)

So, the reason for posting. I miss working in student affairs. I know missing something is normal, and will happen throughout life, especially professionally, but this feels different. When I wake up in the morning and go to my admittedly awesome job, the thought about wanting to be working in student affairs pesters me. I do my job well, and get the work done, but I don't have the passion to go above and beyond like I did with student affairs. I have only been in my job for a couple months, and it is a great job....but I want to be back in student affairs.

What do I do?

Academic Advisors, I really need some advice about two competing job offers.

For background: I’ve been working in higher ed at an HBCU for 4 years in a small, constantly busy Registrar’s office. I’ve done everything from enrollment and data reporting to transfer credit articulation and degree conferral. I know curriculum and policy requirements very well, but my advising experience has mostly been limited to impromptu sessions with last-minute admits every semester. I actually really enjoy those interactions, though, which is why I want to transition into advising.

I could see myself being successful in either position, so I’d really appreciate hearing from experienced advisors about which environment you think would be better for someone making this transition.

School 1

Pros:

- It’s another local university, so I wouldn’t have to move.

- It’s part of the same state public university system as my current school, so I’m already familiar with its core curriculum and many of its policies.

- I’d be able to transfer my vacation/sick leave, and it’s part of the same retirement system.

- It’s an R2 that has recently been absorbing smaller colleges and universities around the state, so it seems to be on its way toward R1 status.

- The student population is extremely diverse, with students from all walks of life.

- The IT department is reliable. The student and faculty/staff portals are well developed, and they use Degree Works as their program audit system.

- I really like the city. It has a beautiful, vibrant downtown and access to pretty much every amenity I could want, so life there is pretty cush.

Cons:

- My caseload would be around 300 students, and I might be advising multiple majors.

- School 1 uses the registration PIN system, so I’d be required to meet with all of my underclassmen every semester. I worry that this would make our meetings pretty transactional for the most part.

- Some of the older, non-traditional students might see me more as an obstacle to registration than as a resource.

- The younger students would likely need a lot of developmental advising around things like time management, task prioritization, and navigating college in general.

- Some students would struggle more academically and require a lot of additional support.

- I haven’t had the opportunity to meet any of the other advisors or faculty yet, so I haven’t really gotten a sense of how the team works together. I’d be going in somewhat blind.

School 2

Pros:

- My caseload would be much smaller, between 150-200 students.

- It’s a top-50 public university and an R1. It’s a very big name and very well known. The school spirit is kind of unbelievable.

- The students tend to be young, but they’re also at the top of their respective classes, since admission is extremely competitive.

- Advisors are assigned to specific subject departments, so I’d be able to develop expertise in a particular area.

- Although it’s recommended, students are not required to meet with their advisors.

- Advisors also do not register students for classes, which is very different from the system I’m used to.

- From what I’ve gathered, advising meetings involve course planning but also long-term goal-setting, career planning, and grad school advising.

- The other advisors seem like great people who genuinely like what they do.

Cons:

- It’s out of state and would require a pretty major move.

- The area is beautiful and has four distinct seasons, but it’s relatively isolated. The surrounding cities aren’t very large and don’t have the amenities I currently have.

- For an R1, the IT department is surprisingly lacking. They’re currently experiencing issues with Banner, and they use DARS rather than Degree Works.

- I’d be required to do more than advising. For example, one of the departments I spoke with wants its advisor to regularly travel to recruitment events.

- The vibes from the department heads and higher leadership seem off. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but things seem tense right now, and that makes me a little nervous.

- I have migraines and regularly see a neurologist for medication. I’m not sure how quickly I’d be able to establish care with a specialist in the new area.

So, from your years of experience as an advisor, which position would you choose?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: School 2 is paying 10k more. Cost of living and commute time with both cities are comparable.

hi all! i just got an interview for an academic advising position and was hoping to get some insight on what to prep.

i’m a fresh university grad with experience as an don/RA and other student leadership & admins roles, but obviously none as an academic advisor. luckily enough, i’d be advising the same area of study i just graduated from which i hope gives me a leg up.

any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hello All!

I recently checked my CSU job applications & ive sent over 47 applications in 2.5 years all of which ive never heard back from. I have no connections I recently graduated with my Masters in School Counseling and would love to land a role at any High Education institution even if its Private, CC, trade Etc.

Can someone give me some pointers.

Am I doing something wrong on my resume.

I am in LA area potentially open to soooo many colleges.

I’m 28 and most students I work with are early 20s. I occasionally will see a student or group of students at the bar. They always want to talk to me. And while I don’t mind saying hello, I don’t want to hang out with them, especially when I’m under the influence.

I’m not at the college bars, I’m usually at the gay bars, so it isn’t as simple as avoiding those bars. (Also I deserve to have a life outside work.)

I don’t want to be rude, but I also want to maintain my boundaries.

Any advice?

Hey all. About a month ago, I had an on-campus interview for an advisor position and I felt confident that it went well. I enjoyed the committee and department I spoke to and I prepared like crazy for the interview, especially the open forum portion. A few weeks went by and I didn’t hear anything (they gave me a shorter timeline of when I should hear back), so I emailed the search chair for an update. The next morning, I received a phone call from the search chair that they had gone with someone else and HR was taking a very long time processing it. During the (short) phone call, the search chair encouraged me to look out for other position listings for this campus. As of this writing, I still have not received a formal rejection from HR (this phone call took place about a week ago).

I’ve been rejected from other positions before. I haven’t had much luck breaking into higher ed, as of yet. I currently work in financial assistance despite having a master’s in higher ed (as so many of us do- get the reference?) and a background in campus diversity (we all know how that’s currently going with this administration). I’ve never been rejected like this, however, and it’s confusing me. I’m totally okay with moving on after grieving the rejection for about a day and I know higher ed is incredibly slow with its hiring process, but I’ve never had the search chair call before, let alone encourage me to seek out other postings for the campus (there are currently none that I qualify for). I’m assuming (okay with being wrong about my assumptions, as well) that the verbal no means I likely didn’t place as a top finalist for the role? I’m not familiar with the campus’ hiring practices unfortunately. And the lack of a written, formal rejection from HR (either by email or mail) is a bit strange but I attribute that to how slow the process generally is. I reached out to the search chair last week to see if I could get feedback so I could better prepare for any potential interviews in the future, but have not heard anything since. I know I likely will not get a response, but I figured I’d ask in the off-chance that I could get a response. They might not be able to release any of that info.

Long story short, is this typical or atypical? Perhaps I’m likely impatient and I’m not expecting anything further, I just like to prepare better with any information I can obtain.

Hello all! I’m a new res life professional (going on one year full time). I came out in college, and I am not ashamed of who I am. Today I had a first year student call and say they need a new roommate. When I asked why because we needed more info, this student said because his assigned roommate is gay and he cannot live with a gay person.

I explained to the student we aren’t doing swaps at this time and that we can revisit later. But, I still found myself like personally upset. How can you have the nerve to call and say you can’t live with a gay person? It’s just like living with anyone else!

I’m just curious if any other queer folks in res life/student affairs have any tips for navigating homophobia among students and how to handle it personally? I dealt with a lot of homophobia in college and I hate to see others deal with it too.

hey! i’m not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but i am currently enrolled in university for my undergrad/bachelor’s degree and I will be applying to a master’s program after graduation. my question is

can I complete the credits required for my undergrad and stay an additional semester or year to complete prerequisites for my master’s?

I would just ask my advisor this but he’s completely useless.

thank you :)

What’s a standout thing your freshman year CA/RA did? Or something that really helped you and made you feel supported? Mine was kinda not present and I’m trying to not continue that!

Hello!
I am a new Academic Advisor and I love it! I am wondering what career directions some people may have taken after being an advisor in higher Ed? I am planning on starting my ED.D soon and wanting to eventually take on more responsibility.
Thanks !

Hi all! I graduated with my SAHE master's around 2015. During my program I had some mental health issues and I pushed through but it was a struggle. While the rest of my cohort was applying for jobs and interviewing, I was just trying to greet caught up. A few years later I gave up trying to get into the field. Looking back my mental health was still pretty bad and I'm sure that's a large part of why no one I did interview with would take me.

So now it's 2026 and I've done some of the therapy work. I'm by no means healed or a paragon of mental health, but I'm much better than I was and I'd like to try again.

Is there hope? Do you think I am hireable and, if so, how would you recommend preparing to reenter the field? Thanks for your time!

Are both of these in the same department or are they separate at your university? Mine is together and it’s kind of a lot… together meaning—res life staff (RDs are also doing the housing piece—housing people, handling complaints, managing contracts and refunds, etc). I’m curious what other universities do? Two separate staffs/divisions or together.

I’m considering running for president of a society at BCP College and wanted to know if it’s actually worth the time and effort.

Does it help with university applications, leadership skills, networking, or personal growth? Or does it mostly become extra responsibility with little benefit?

I’d especially appreciate advice from Beaconhouse A Level graduates or anyone who has experience in societies/leadership roles. Please share your honest experiences and any advice you have.

JazakAllah/Thank you in advance to everyone who shares their experience. May Allah reward you for your time and help you in your own challenges.