Colleges across the country are facing budget cuts while being asked to maintain the same number of student services. As a new professional, I do not remember a time when this was not the case. Many of my colleagues talk about times when “we could buy t-shirts for everyone and have lunch catered,” when now, I am left with discovering what professional development is fun and free. In the face of burnout, budget frustration, and limited opportunities for professional development, new professionals may have to focus on doing less, doing it more creatively, and still doing it well.
Even in times where we are given fewer resources, we are expected to still show up, support students, give the perspective of said students (depending on your age and general Gen-Z-Ness), and carve our own path in the field. Institutional challenges require individual responses. This means coming up with ways to protect your peace and continue to grow during these times. We must develop skills to cope with continuing uncertainty. Young professionals still carry a responsibility to bring fresh ideas and cultivate their own resilience.
Defining what this means to you is essential. To me, this looks like researching training offered for free on campus, making crafts on my own to show my students they are appreciated, and taking any chance offered to me to go and do it. This year, I went to Arizona for 48 hours to attend a conference to get employer contacts, just because I had a free weekend and because, why not? My area of expertise is nowhere near employer relations, but when opportunities present themselves go and do, take the chance. My level of spontaneity is certainly not for everyone; it just works for me to keep myself engaged and challenge the idea of a rigid position description. You can wear the hats that present themselves, expand beyond your job description when appropriate, and roll with the punches.
In an Inside Higher Ed article, a panel of university presidents shared one overarching theme in their advice to young professionals: growth. This could take the form of taking risks, being open to new ideas, and making connections. One sentence that stood out to me from John L. Hoffman, president of Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, “If you know where you’re going, you’re never going to end up somewhere else” (Mowreader, 2024). There is no 100% correct path to get to your absolute dream – if you even know what that is right now. Personally, I have no idea. Sometimes it’s a Dean of Students who teaches a yoga class, sometimes it’s a faculty member in a Higher Education program, and sometimes it’s going all the way up and being the President of the whole University! I think it can be easy to think there is one way forward, but flexibility is the way to remain positive in times when we feel like we have fewer options.
Another panel member, Angelica L. Suarez, president of Orange Coast College in California, said to take care of the role that you are in (Mowreader, 2024). Many of my peers in their first role are in an inaugural position – truly, the first to do it. Your time in the position you are in, new or not, sets a precedent for the next “you.” Taking care of your position paves a way forward for the next generation of us, young professionals. Taking care of your learning and professional development with little resources is truly built around intentionality. How you collaborate with your colleagues, how you show up every day, and how you care for and support students, is free. You must be the steward of your own journey, and care about the impact you will have on the long term.
Overall, if you do know your stretch goal or just taking your first years in the field day by day, adapting to what comes next is the advice all young professionals should take in stride. You cannot control budgets, administration, and larger changes in the world that affect higher education. You control how you show up, the dedication you bring to your own experience, and your mindset amid the chaos. Make a point to leave things better than you found them and embrace the wonderful uncertainty of it all.
Reflection Questions
- What are current challenges in your work that you have control over? What challenges do you not have control over?
- Who is someone you know who is particularly positive, adaptable and flexible in times of uncertainty? What can you learn from their approach? Consider asking to meet with them to learn more about their strategies during challenging times.
- How do you hope to show up each day? What steps do you take to work toward that idealized vision for yourself?
Author Biography
Hali Sanders (she/her/hers) is originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, and currently serves as Assistant Director for Career Development at Clemson University. She graduated from Clemson University in 2025 with her Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Media Studies from Old Dominion University in 2023.
References
Mowreader, A. (2024, July 1). Eight considerations for a rising student success professional. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/college-experience/2024/07/01/eight-considerations-rising-student-success