The Question That Changed My Life

I sat there, waiting somewhat anxiously. I had called the meeting to let my boss’s boss know that I was leaving my position for a new role at a different institution. I had been rehearsing what to say just to make sure I came off as confident and competent. There was a lot I admired about him and I wanted to make sure I left on a positive note.

I explained that I was interested in transitioning from career advising to academic advising, and that I had been wanting to work at a larger, more diverse institution. He quickly agreed it would be a good fit for me and offered his congratulations. As soon as I was starting to relax, he asked a simple, yet deceivingly thought provoking question:

“Then what?”

I replied with something along the lines of that I imagine being an academic advisor for a while, and that at some point I’d like to become an assistant director of some kind, and then a director of an academic or career advising office. “Great!” he replied. To which he then said:

“Then what?”

After a moment of quiet pondering, he jumped back in and explained something I still think about every now and then. I was in my mid-20s at the time; he explained that I would be in the workforce for at least 40 more years, if not longer. He said, “There’s no reason you can’t do what I do someday, or even go higher than that. You could be president of a university if you want to”.

Now, I was pretty sure at the time – and I still feel just as sure – that being a university president is not something I want. But unlike before, I know adhere to the notion of “never say never”. Right then my thought process changed pretty dramatically; I should at the very least be open to any possibility and not be afraid to picture myself in a variety of roles.

I think on some level that simple question is one of the reasons I thought more critically about my next steps a couple of years ago and transitioned out of advising into a new type of student support center. I think it’s one of the reasons I took the leap to start this blog. I also think it is one of the reasons I currently do not want to earn a PhD anytime soon – and that is not because of my young daughters at home like a few folks have assumed, but rather because I thought critically about it am just not sure I ever want one.

And that’s ok. It’s good to think about what you want next – or don’t want next – and to not just go through the motions and pursue the things that you think you are supposed to do.

So there you have it. A simple blog post devoted to a simple question, which just so happens to be today’s thought experiment:

Then what?