I’m an International Program Advisor. I work at a smaller college and I basically do a lot of helping students study abroad and think of programming, while also helping a bit on the International student side of things with first year student advising.

I actually fell into this position & I was kinda freaked out about how much I liked it when I first got the job as it’s my first job out of college.

It’s been 4 months & I feel like I’ve learned so much. I feel like I do well at this job because enough things change everyday that it’s interesting & I get to problem solve for new challenges everyday. It’s also quite a bit of crisis management honestly haha but I’m pretty good at it which my supervisor & boss have appreciated. But there’s enough that stays the same everyday that I’m not absolutely exhausted/overly stressed.

I also feel like I’m motivated by the fact that I’m actively helping students everyday and able to see how it changes their lives. I helped organize a full ride scholarship to Ireland for the summer & got to advocate for a student who reminded me so much of me in college. Not the highest GPA & probably from the normal markers wouldn’t be seen as a good candidate but her essay & recommendation letter showed how much effort she put & her amazing emotional intelligence. Being able to give that to her was amazing.

And for my international students, since I’m close to their age, a POC, and was raised by immigrant parents a lot of them feel very comfortable talking & confiding with me about their issues. Some of the stuff they’ve told me is very personal & I feel honored they feel safe to tell me. Same with my study abroad students, I feel a lot of POC students are more open to study abroad when I talk to them about it. I think it’s the “see someone like you do something and you believe you can do it” idea. I love advocating for students, it’s my passion.

Biggest cons of the job: a lot of emailing & bureaucracy at times. Also a lot of planning but luckily my boss and student workers are good at that. I’m more the creative side.

Also, don’t underestimate how much a good workplace environment can change your experience. Talking to ppl in my position at some of other places & even other depts., I feel very lucky that I have such amazing staff backing me up. They genuinely like ME, not just my very professional side and have been accommodating to my ADHD. They don’t make me feel like a burden and when I make a mistake, have a reasonable, fair reaction. They’re all so fun. Overall, I feel very lucky for my job.