A career resource guide for Student Affairs professionals.

1. Student Affairs Career Resource: A Tool to Promote Student Learning By: P. Max Quinn
Use
the
Career
Planning
Process
diagram
to
help
students
navigate
campus
resources.
By
using
this
diagram
in
coordination
with
the
student
development
theories
below,
you
will
be
best
equipped
to
handle
the
growing
needs
and
concerns
that
college
students
face
while
in
your
care.
Student
Development
Theories:
Seven
Vectors
of
Student
Development
1. Developing
Competence
2. Managing
Emotions
3. Moving
through
autonomy,
towards
Interdependence
4. Developing
Mature
Interpersonal
Relationships
5. Establishing
Identity
6. Developing
Purpose
7. Developing
Integrity
Transitioning
Theory
-­‐
The
4
S’s
How
the
person
perceives
the
experience
of
the
transition
determines
how
the
transition
will
affect
them.
Three
variables
of
adaption
to
transition:
Individual’s
perception
of
the
transition,
characteristics
of
pre
and
post
transition
environment,
&
characteristics
of
the
individual
experiencing
the
transition.
PERCEPTION
— Situation
-­‐
Triggers
Type
-­‐
Anticipated,
Unanticipated,
Non-­‐events
— Self
-­‐
What
the
individual
brings
to
the
transition
Context
-­‐
Relationship
to
the
transition
— Support
-­‐
Family,
friends,
institutions
a
part
of
Impact
-­‐
How
it
affects
daily
life
— Strategies
-­‐
Coping,
ability
and
liabilities
Challenge
&
Support
Finding
a
balance
of
challenge
and
support.
Too
much
support
with
too
little
challenge
creates
a
comfortable
environment
for
the
student,
where
little
development
is
possible.
However,
too
little
support
with
too
much
challenge
makes
development
an
impossible
and
negative
experience.
Create
dissonance
so
that
the
student
can
be
challenged
to
grow.
Support
them,
but
don’t
give
them
answers.
Cognitive
Development
Describes
students’
thinking
about
the
nature
of
knowledge,
truth,
values,
and
responsibilities
towards
self
and
others.*
• Stage
1-­‐
Dualism
(Black
or
White)
o Look
to
an
authority
figure
to
tell
them
what
to
believe.
/
Everything
is
right
or
wrong;
black
or
white.
• Stage
2
–
Multiplicity
o Believe
that
everyone
has
their
own
opinion
and
there
is
no
right
answer
• Stage
3
–
Relativism
o Believes
that
there
is
some
grey
area.
/
Accept
the
best
answer
that
they
can
find.
• Stage
4
–
Commitment
-­‐
Have
analyzed
the
evidence.
Committed
to
their
opinion.
Experiential
Learning
Learning
style:
§ Habitual
way
of
responding
to
a
learning
environment.
§ Offered
detailed
descriptions
of
each
of
the
styles.
Influences:
§ Heredity
§ Life
experiences
§ Demands
of
immediate
environment
Styles
are
not
viewed
as
fixed
traits
but
as
current
states
of
mind.

2. Informational
summary:
This
student
affairs
career
resource
tool
has
been
created
to
help
professional’s
navigate
student
needs
and
expectations.
If
college
and
universities
are
to
provide
students
with
the
knowledge
and
resources
to
be
successful
post-­‐graduation,
we
as
administrators
must
assist
in
developing
the
whole
student.
Apart
of
each
student’s
goals
involves
their
career
path.
This
tool
should
be
useful
to
student
affairs
professionals
who
have
a
good
knowledge
base
of
student
development
theories.
If
a
professional
is
not
competent
in
student
development
theories,
the
author
suggests
to
take
a
course
or
to
research
the
above
theories
to
find
their
theoretical
background,
limitations,
and
other
relevant
theories
not
included
on
this
handout.
The
goal
of
this
resource
is
to
assist
students
in
their
search
for
what
to
do
after
the
conclusion
of
their
college
experience.
In
order
to
evaluate
this
resources’
effectiveness,
one
should
utilize
basic
counseling
and
advanced
counseling
skills
in
combination
with
the
above
(and
other)
student
development
theories.
The
balance
of
challenge
and
support
can
be
helping
to
gauge
how
much
a
student
has
developed.
If
a
student
is
asking
for
answers,
they
may
be
in
the
3rd
Vector.
Knowing
this,
professionals
can
identify
influences,
situations,
and
strategies
that
can
help
to
explore
options.
Linking
all
of
this
back
to
the
Career
Planning
Process
diagram
can
help
to
select
what
step
the
student
might
need
to
take
next.
In
addition,
incorporating
the
experiential
learning
theory,
one
can
help
the
student
to
identify
whether
they
fit
as
an
Accommodator,
Diverger,
Coverger,
or
Assimilator.
This
can
be
then
linked
to
Holland’s
career
theory
to
identify
a
potential
career
path
or
avenue
to
explore.
Non-­‐traditional
students,
those
that
identify
as
LGBT
or
Q,
or
students
who
come
from
a
culturally
diverse
background
may
not
benefit
from
this
resource.
Instead,
it
is
suggested
that
outside
theories
are
referenced.
An
LGBT
Lifespan
model,
Critical
Race
Theory,
Spirituality,
Feminist,
or
other
moral,
ethical,
and
cognitive
reasoning
theories
may
be
best
suited
to
assist
students
with
diverse
needs.
Limitations:
Limitations
of
this
resource
vary
based
on
the
fluency
of
the
professional
in
their
knowledge
of
student
development
theories
and
their
ability
to
apply
theory
to
practice
in
their
work
with
students.
Not
buying
into
student
development
theories,
or
not
having
been
taught
these
cornerstones
can
limit
the
effectiveness
of
the
professional
and
this
handout.
Another
limitation
may
be
the
brief
nature
of
this
resource.
One
page
does
not
do
justice
to
the
wealth
of
information
and
guidance
that
these
theories
provide
to
professionals.
It
is
highly
recommended
that
professionals
research
and
practice
these
theories
if
they
wish
for
this
tool
to
be
effective
in
counseling
students
about
their
careers.
Purpose:
To
promote
student
learning
is
the
mission
of
most
student
affairs
professionals.
This
resource
helps
to
promote
student
learning
through
conversations
with
professionals
about
available
resources,
and
also
to
help
the
professional
judge
where
the
student
is
at
so
that
they
can
best
meet
their
needs
in
the
here-­‐and-­‐now.
Using
basic
counseling
skills
in
combination
with
the
above
theories
and
visuals
can
help
to
hone
in
on
specific
transitions
or
obstacles
students
are
facing.
This
resource
also
enables
professionals
to
offer
resources
and
help
students
explore
options
that
may
seem
unrealistic
or
unattainable
to
them.
Much
of
the
effectiveness
of
this
resource
will
depend
on
the
training
and
experience
of
the
professional
facilitating
the
discussion.
Resources:
Bridgewater
State
University
-­‐
Office
of
Career
Services:
http://www.bridgew.edu/CareerServices/parentspage.cfm
Evans,
N.
J.,
Forney,
D.
S.,
Guido,
F.
M.,
Patton,
L.
D.,
&
Renn,
K.
A.
(2010).
Student
development
in
college,
theory,
research,
and
practice.
(2nd
ed.).
San
Francisco,
CA:
Jossey-­‐Bass
Inc
Pub.
Goodman,
J.,
Schlossberg,
N
&
Anderson,
M.
(2011).
Counseling
Adults
in
Transition:
Linking
Schlossberg’s
Theory
with
Practice
in
a
Diverse
World.
(4th
ed.)
New
York:
Springer
Publishing
Company.
Kolb,
D.
(1999).
Learning
Style
Inventory.
Boston,
MA:
Hay
Group,
Hay
Resources
Direct.
Kolb,
D.,
&
Kolb,
A.
(2005).
The
Kolb
learning
style
inventory-­‐version
3.1
2005
technical
specifications
Available
from
www.learningfromexperience.com
Perry,
W.G.,
(1981).
Cognititve
and
ethical
growth:
the
making
of
meaning
(pp.
76-­‐116).
In
Chickering
and
Associates
(Eds.),
The
Modern
American
College.
Responding
to
the
New
Realities
of
Diverse
Students
in
a
Changing
Society.
San
Francisco:
Jossey-­‐Bass.
Schlossberg,
N.
http://www.transitionsthroughlife.com
Questions
or
Comments?
Contact
P.
Max
Quinn
-­‐
pquinn@student.bridgew.edu