The First Year on the Job: Experiences of New Professionals in Student Affairs

Abstract

Ten new student affairs professionals participated in this longitudinal study of their first year on the job. This qual-itative study used online data collection. Participants sub-mitted monthly responses to open-ended prompts inquir-ing about their experiences, challenges, and surprises. Over three time phases (Pre-Employment and Orientation, Transition, and Settled In), three themes emerged: the importance of relationships, institutional and professional fit, and issues of competence and confidence. Findings suggest several implications for practice, includ-ing preparing new professionals, being a new professional, and supervising new professionals. The authors suggest areas for future research. New professionals—first-time, full-time student affairs staff with five or fewer years of experience—represent a substantial population in the field, estimated at 15 % to 20 % of the student affairs workforce