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[wayne]

I’m looking for advice on a multitude of questions, all somewhat related.

First, some background information:

I am nearing completion of a master’s in history.  My undergraduate degree is in business administration, with concentrations in finance and organizational behavior.  I have worked for the past nine years as a financial analyst in various different industries (transportation, software, manufacturing).

I am looking for a career change and am interested in entering academia, preferably in either advising or academic affairs.  My questions are these:

• Is there any chance of landing more than an entry-level position given my lack of experience in higher ed. admin?
• Is “real-world” experience valued in the fields listed above?
• During my undergraduate studies, I did work for three and a half years in a departmental office, two semesters in student activities, one semester in financial aid, and one semester in development at a large hospital doing research/prospecting.  Would any of this experience “count” for anything?  Due to my professional experience, I do not have any of this on my current resume, but am wondering if when applying for a position in administration I should include this experience?  Or is it better situated for a cover letter, or is it not worthwhile at all?
• In addition to the above, my educational experience was been varied to the point that I believe I could contribute significantly as an advisor/counselor.  Namely, I transferred twice during undergraduate studies (once out of my first school, and then back into that same school).  I have a business degree, and will soon have a degree in a humanities field, giving some knowledge and breadth to the possibilities of choosing and pursuing different majors and careers.  I have attended a private school in a large eastern metropolitan area, a mid-sized liberal arts school in the mid-west, a distance-learning program at a state university in the southwest, taken correspondence courses and taken non-credit classes at a local community college.  Is any of this beneficial and if yes, how do I go about communicating this?

[%sig%]

[anon]

From what I've seen, advising seems to be handled either by:
1. faculty or faculty-level individuals / or alternatively by
2. student affairs staff.

Reviewing job postings here or on higheredjobs.com might help you get a perspective on the different opportunities and what's required.

From the student affairs side, your career experience might not be so helpful (depending on how you spin it), but your higher ed experience might be if you can show you learned how a college/university "works," beyond the student perspective.  Usually, though, they prefer someone with a counseling background, and might think that your history degree makes you something of a non-fit (unless you're advising history students, or the like).

I'm no expert on this, but thought I'd share my experience.

[Comm Coll Admin]

I similarly received a master's degree in history prior to starting my career on the administrative side of higher education, first in admissions and then in advising, and now overseeing broader student services.  The degree is by no means a limitation, but you need to make sure that you are highlighting the transferable skills of your degree in order to make in roads -- certainly you know how to write, to review material critically, to present your thoughts and ideas to varied audiences, and to research.  These are all skills that are needed in higher ed administration.  

However, the fact that you have a master's degree doesn't make you a step up from those with bachelors degrees and experience -- more than an entry level position suggests that you have more than entry level skills.  While the information you provided suggests that you have some administrative skills, you are not necessarily an attractive candidate for a supervisory position over people whose work you have never done (for example, an assistant director of advising when you have never been an advisor).  All of your experience is valuable only in so much as it makes you a step above your competition, and the competition tends to be fierce and strong.    

In order to get your foot in the door, you may need to go entry level.  However, you can use your experience to make sure that your time at the entry level is not as long as it might be for others.  My advice, for what it's worth, is to make use of your time in the entry level position by stretching beyond your individual office to see what else is out there, to get involved, and to determine where other opportunities might be.

Best of luck to you.