On September 30, 2023, I boldly declared to myself and anyone who asked, that I was officially done with campus rec forever.
It wasn’t that I stopped being passionate about utilizing recreation as a vehicle to transform the student experience and provide professional development opportunities for burgeoning young professionals. It was I’d finally had enough of navigating the excessive red tape and ever-present politics that often exist within Student Affairs.
Despite scattered recollection of campus rec veterans warning that, “Once you leave campus rec, it’s impossible to get back in,” I had a substantial pay increase and an opportunity to do the work I love in a new setting to quiet any fear of the uncertainty that lay ahead.
So, with no intention of ever looking back, I dove headfirst into the non-profit sector. It was my very first full-time job outside of campus recreation.
At first, things were good, as with most new ventures. However, as I witnessed and experienced more, I quickly started to recall exactly why I decided to launch my campus rec career in the first place.
Specifically, elements such as program funding, professional development opportunities, and official policies and procedures are what attracted me to campus recreation above some of the other career opportunities I considered post-graduation.
In higher ed, these elements are a given and highly protected by the university. However, in the world outside of higher education where I now found myself, these concepts were underdeveloped and undervalued to say the least.
Returning to Campus Rec
After quickly realizing this new organization could not support my needs as a professional and as a person long term, I came to the decision that it was time to return home to campus rec.
However, this time around, I knew I needed to be highly selective about the positions in which I applied, and closely evaluate the university culture throughout the interview process.
Fast-forwarding to today, I am very fortunate to work as the director of Fitness and Wellness at a university that is truly committed to the support, development and well-being of its faculty, staff and students.
Looking back, I can honestly say I don’t regret the short time I spent working outside of campus rec because it provided me with the opportunity to take a step back, consider what I really wanted, and to identify the type of university culture that deeply aligned with both my professional and personal values.
For those current campus rec professionals considering leaving the industry to explore outside career opportunities, I offer the following words of advice and recommendations to assist you along your journey.
1. You Can Always Go Home
As I began interviewing for positions outside of campus rec, the concern that once I left, I couldn’t come back often crossed my mind. To be honest, I think that’s why I made such a bold declaration of being done with campus rec forever upon my departure.
Despite this common fear-laced advice many campus rec professionals receive from those who never even tried to leave campus rec themselves, this could not be further from the truth.
If you are knowledgeable, experienced and gifted at what you do, the opportunity to return to campus rec will always exist.
2. Mission Statements Matter
After several instances of working for organizations — both inside and outside of campus rec — whose leadership priorities were in direct opposition to my professional and personal values, I began to see the importance of evaluating an organization’s mission statement to determine fit.
In my experience, if leadership is either unfamiliar with or minimizes the significance of the mission statement in any way, this is a major red flag that this organization may not be committed to walking the talk.
As you evaluate organizational fit in this area, ask yourself the following questions:
- How does this organization’s mission statement align with my professional and personal values?
- Does this statement appear to mean something to the people who work here? Or is it just words on a website?
- Do the leadership and employees appear to adhere to and uphold the ideals of this statement?
If you’re someone like me who is highly passionate about what you do and are mission driven, I encourage you to be willing to walk away from an offer and/or a position if observe any misalignment or misrepresentation in this capacity.
3. Be Open to Exploration
For me, increasing my impact has always been my main professional priority. And I eventually came the realization that:
- I could not significantly impact the department or the student experience at an assistant director level
- I was not willing to stay in a midlevel management position for 10-plus years and hope the director leaves so I could get promoted.
- I was not willing to move across the country to obtain the position I desired.
Therefore, being offered a promotional position with a significant pay increase in a location where I already lived seemed like a win-win.
I truly believe the intensive director-level experience I obtained during my time working outside of campus rec thoroughly equipped me to be a qualified candidate for the university director position for which I aspired.
Thus, I encourage anyone feeling as a though they’ve hit the proverbial ceiling in their campus rec career to consider exploring outside employment opportunities as well. Sometimes the non-traditional path can get you to your desired destination more efficiently.
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