Road Less Traveled

When introduced to the magical world of Student Affairs, I was taken aback by the many opportunities and functional areas I could be apart of by solely going to graduate school and getting a degree. Student Affairs truly is a field where many people can “get their feet wet” with opportunities and discover what they truly want to do, hence where my story begins.

Reflecting back to my undergraduate years, at the University of North Alabama, I was that student who decided to get involved with everything my incredibly packed schedule could handle. From fraternity/sorority life, leadership programs, orientation, admissions recruiter, SGA, etc., I wanted to experience it all. Going through interview after interview, program after program, and intense semester after intense semester, I began to develop a passion for the work that I was doing. That passion could be sensed by the professional staff members around me. I know this now simply because I have since starting picking up on that passion from students I directly work with. The practice of “tapping” people for student affairs is alive, true, and the best thing that could happen to anyone considering being involved with this field.

If and when you are “tapped,” your world may never go back to normal, and that is a great thing! Once you are finally able to develop your passion into a career, the world is at your fingertips. I wish I had the opportunity to delve into the many ways a person can navigate this field and it’s many functional areas, but alas I will not. I will focus on my story and what I have taken away from my experiences over the last two years in my graduate program, Florida State University.

Entering grad school, I thought I was the best of the best. Knowing I had been so involved with prestigious leadership positions in my undergraduate career, I thought graduate school was going to be a breeze. Luckily, I was wrong! I was in class and at work with colleagues across the nation who were more brilliant and skilled than me, but this pushed me to be the best me I could be. Graduate school can be cut throat if you let it, but it doesn’t have to be. I finally began to understand that my journey was my journey, and no one else’s. Once I finally understood that, I was able to carve out my own path and take my road less traveled, through getting involved with residence life. 

Residence life, while one of the most popular paths in entry-level positions, was nowhere on my radar entering graduate school. Coming from someone who was never an RA, nor did I live on campus, I never thought about a career in residence life. That is, until a professional by the name of Chandra Myrick walked into my Intro to Student Affairs course during my first semester of my graduate school program. Chandra ranted and raved about the wonderful world of residence life, leaving a curious taste in my mouth for a potential internship. Little did I know that I would be awarded an internship, another internship, a switch of assistantship, and now an entry-level position in residence life at the University of Arizona.

Student Affairs is a wonderful field where you can truly discover yourself by taking risks and venturing down the road less traveled. As Lao Tzu once said, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” What is your first step going to be?

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Matthew Linton is Community Director within Residence Life at the University of Arizona.