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[higheredguy]

Because entry level res life positions  involve night call and living in the halls.  People can really only do that for 2-3 years before it starts to get old.  At a small residential college, to be promoted up from that position, you need a Director to retire or leave, which happens a lot less often in small residential colleges for a variety of reasons.  For that reason, entry level res life positions are places where you gain experience.  At bigger schools, there might be more places for you to advance.  At small residential colleges, not so much.

I'm having a hard time understanding why someone who has no desire to be on the academic side of a university would want to be promoted out of a position that pays you $30,000 a year and all housing and bills are covered. Explain that one.

[cj405]

A lot of small schools don't pay that well, and some don't even try to recruit people with a master's degree because they really can't pay them enough. Sometimes it is even difficult to keep people around for 2-3 years.

Some do different things to make these positions more attractive to young professionals.  For example, the hall director positions might be split between residence life and athletics (RD/assistant football coach) or residence life and student activities.  Eventually, you will use your experience from your non-residence life position to find a better position for yourself, either at the same school or somewhere else entirely.

[chronanon]

I'm having a hard time understanding why someone who has no desire to be on the academic side of a university would want to be promoted out of a position that pays you $30,000 a year and all housing and bills are covered.

Aim low much?

[chronanon]

I'm having a hard time understanding why someone who has no desire to be on the academic side of a university would want to be promoted out of a position that pays you $30,000 a year and all housing and bills are covered.

Aim low much?

[higheredguy]

I'm having a hard time understanding why someone who has no desire to be on the academic side of a university would want to be promoted out of a position that pays you $30,000 a year and all housing and bills are covered.

Aim low much?

Double post much?

Okay, since when is $30,000 and housing with all utilities covered a low target?

[dale1]

I would have dreamed to have had $30k and all housing/food expenses paid as a hall director.  As it was, my salary was 1/3 that amount in 2001-2.

[brixton]

I'm having a hard time understanding why someone who has no desire to be on the academic side of a university would want to be promoted out of a position that pays you $30,000 a year and all housing and bills are covered.

Night call.  Up all night with drunk students.  Meeting the EMS truck to take away Baker Acted students.  Dealing with worried parents who call you at 11:30 pm because they've somehow gotten the RD cell phone number. Salary more likely  22,000-27,000.  Maybe this is something you can do for more than 3 years.  It is certainly good experience in student development, but as your life progresses, you probably will long for a promotion to the next step.    (I think we're drifting here from the OP's question.)

[punchnpie]

A suggestion from the MLIS side of things - even back in the Stone Age when I went to undergrad, our dorms at Big State U had libraries in them. I'd guess that there were still a few places like that, where either you'd work in a particular dorm or work in the office that manages such a program. It's something to check out, OP.