Sure, the room looks spacious now, but add a king size bed... (Source)

Carter stands in the middle of the quad like a deer caught in headlights. Other students whiz by, walking purposefully and looking competent. He, on the other hand, feels like he did on his first day of kindergarten—totally scared. 

The campus is intimidatingly large and he has so many things to do in the next hour and a half: register for his classes, buy his books, and try to fit a king-size bed into his dorm room (his mother insisted). After that, he's off to an informal freshman welcome.

Carter needs some guidance. He needs a friend. He needs you...the Dean of Students.

You totally remember how Carter felt that day. You also remember the person who helped you navigate through four exhilarating, sometimes (very) grueling, years of higher learning. At the end of those four years, you decided that your college life would continue as a university administrator, specifically as a Dean of Students.

Not a bad career choice. Not only do the majority of people who hold this position describe the work as very satisfying, the median pay for this noble job in the ivory tower is $89,000 and increases with experience. Deans with advanced degrees and several years of experience can make up to $168,000 (source).

As Dean of Students, you will engage with students who come from places as different as Indiana and India. They'll come to you with different backgrounds and goals, so you'll need excellent communication skills to help such a diverse group through their tumultuous college experience. It's pretty unlikely that there will ever be another time in these students' lives when they'll have an advocate, counselor, party planner, financial adviser, and cheerleader all rolled into one.

 

This looks like a job for Super Dean...and his team. (Source)

You may be faster than a speeding bullet when it comes to responding to student emails, and more powerful than a locomotive when you have to push through a new dormitory food program. You may even be able to leap over a group of worried parents in a single bound. You cannot, however, do this alone, Super Dean. 

You'll have to collaborate with other faculty and staff as a team. And remember: When things don't exactly go your way, you can't exactly zap anyone with your heat vision beams.

To earn that S on your chest, you'll need more letters behind that B.A. A master's degree will certainly get you there, and a doctorate will move you even further up on the pay scale. But, don't think you can strut onto campus with your degrees and nab this coveted position without some work experience.

Having worked in the registrar's office or in an academic department will move your résumé closer to the top of the pile. That crazy year you spent as a resident adviser in your sophomore year? Your skills in handling roommate switches and negotiating stereo volume levels absolutely count as experience with students.

There are colleges that offer specialized degrees in educational administration (some with online programs) to set you on the right track to becoming a Dean of Students. Get ready...somewhere, there's a Carter waiting for you. 

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