Supplemental Information

A Baker's Dozen Suggestions on Advancing Your Career

Mary M. Dwyer, President/CEO, IES Abroad

These 13 pieces of career advice are based upon my 30 years in higher education, most of which were spent at a public research university.

Here’s my baker’s dozen:

• First — Let's get the frequently asked, big question out of the way. Do you need to get a Ph.D. to advance your career in the field of international education? My answer is: It depends. If you want to be safe and maximize your career opportunities, the simple answer is yes. But there are significant costs in time, labor and expense associated with getting a Ph.D. and so the decision should not be taken lightly. Starting a Ph.D. and not finishing it has no career impact.

  In the international education field you no longer need a Ph.D.—although a Master's degree is necessary to advance in the field. This assumes that you are willing to accept that some, not all, of the top jobs will never be within your grasp at a university or at a 3rd party provider. If you choose not to pursue a Ph.D., you must be willing to accept that you will lack credibility with some faculty and administrators unless you can develop communication skills combined with considerable academic knowledge and sensibilities to compensate.

  You do need a Ph.D. if you think you might want to be mobile across universities/study abroad organizations and/or switch to another field.

• Second, gain more analytical skills. By that I mean take workshops or enroll in non-credit courses that teach you financial, strategic planning, marketing, data analysis and leadership skills. This doesn't have to be a large financial or time investment. In some cases your employer will pay for this training, particularly if you can take on-campus courses. These are the main management skills that all academic leaders use and your competency in these areas will help distinguish you for leadership growth. Practice what you learn in your current context and that will help others recognize what you can contribute. In other words, don't keep what you've learned a secret. Apply it.

• Third, gain strategic and policy-oriented thinking ability. Practice thinking about the big picture for your entire institution or field versus staying narrowly focused on this week's crisis or challenge in your office. This is a mental exercise that you need to engage in to prepare yourself for leadership roles. The more you practice it with your employer, the more likely they will see that you're ready for the next level job. Learning to think in the organizational strategy and policy realms requires self-discipline and initiative in reading management and leadership case studies across business and academic fields. There are plenty of journals (such as the Harvard Business Review) and books on leadership that will provide you these insights.

• Fourth, help others even if there is no direct impact on your career progress. It's the right thing to do.
  

• Fifth, realize that in helping others you advance opportunities for others. Life is not a one-way street and neither is career building. You might be the beneficiary but you may not. Don't be coy about this—just do it. Don't always assume that you should be the beneficiary. Some of those you help will help you in the future.
  

• Sixth, respond to opportunities even if there is risk. Without taking calculated risks and working very hard, you won't go far. Before joining IES Abroad, I had six different academic administrative roles at a university, had consulted or taught for many organizations in the U.S. and in developing countries, in addition to my faculty role. They were very disparate roles across various higher education fields and yet I learned greatly from each new opportunity such that when I came to IES I was ready and the only new things for me were hedging currency and managing an investment portfolio. This prior experience, based upon taking risks and being willing to detour from one field to the next, enabled me to be successful as I progressed through my career.

• Seventh, in order to be offered new opportunities you have to say “yes” constantly. Those who put strict parameters and limitations around their jobs and workload and complain about their current workload aren't perceived as willing to grow or having the capacity to become leaders. Effective leaders embrace new challenges. In today's environment, managers have to make decisions about promotions very quickly and with limited information. Frequently, title changes and additional remuneration follow only after you've shown what you can do. Don't turn down a new opportunity for more challenge even within your current role just because your salary or title isn't going to change immediately. Do bring up at the point at which you are given a major bump in duties the probability of being compensated then or at a later time. It never hurts to ask.

• Eighth, don't say you're too busy to serve on committees. In fact, seek out opportunities to sit on policy-level committees by simply volunteering or letting higher-ranked administrators know that you're willing and able. For that matter, volunteer to serve NAFSA, The Forum, or whatever national organization best fits your interests. And once you are on a committee, show up and do the work. This is how you demonstrate your ability to work outside your specific, narrow job description and illustrate that you have the capacity to do more.

• Ninth, and this may be an obvious one but I've seen it violated repeatedly: Don't sit on the periphery at committee meetings. Speak up! You might as well not be on the committee if you don't contribute. Sit next to or right across from the committee chair and always try to contribute new, substantive ideas. Do not ramble or just speak for the sake of speaking. This will backfire.

• Tenth, figure out how to operate within your organization's political and social environment. Choose an environment that is a match for you. Perfectly competent employees fail simply because the organizational culture is not a match with their strengths. You've seen one university; you've seen one university. Study the organizational culture in which you operate and act accordingly. Don't expect that the subtleties of the environment will be covered in the employee orientation session. Most academic organizations are highly politicized and require political skills. Naiveté is not valued or rewarded in such environments. The arts of collaboration and compromise (two very critical political skills) are extremely important. Don't fall on your sword due to being a purist about an issue that in the end isn't truly important. Pick your battles carefully and make sure that they are large enough to be worth winning.

• Eleventh, be willing to create and accept organizational change. It's much tougher than sticking to the status quo but essential for acquiring and succeeding in a leadership position and making meaningful contributions to an organization. Tolerance of ambiguity is the number-one trait of a successful leader and in a field as volatile and marginalized as international education, developing this tolerance is essential. Dedicate yourself to continually improving what you do--which is what organizational change should be all about.

• Twelfth, create a constructive professional support group rather than searching for a mentor. The body of literature shows that mentoring relationships can be tricky. In truth, most of us benefit from a series of helpful, highly skilled individuals along the way—several mini-mentors, if you will. As much as you can, create a support group that includes people at different career stages to discuss issues and guide you. That way you can weigh the value of the advice and not be solely dependent upon your own thinking or that of a single mentor. Also, you benefit from others' experience.

• Thirteen, be proactive and empowered. International education is a marginalized field in academe and is largely powerless within the academic organizational structure. Don't be marginalized as a professional even if the field is. Individuals that show initiative, are creative, are very hard working and behave in an empowered way are more likely to succeed. Self-confidence is critical to career success and if we behave in a powerless way, whining about our lack of influence, we will be treated accordingly. Learn to advocate and don't get discouraged if you don't get what you ask for. The exercise of creating a proposal and advocating for a policy change is worth it even if you're turned down. Persevere another day. Persistence is everything in academic and career success.

In summary, there are no short cuts to career success. The quantity and quality of our work counts as does a healthy dose of good fortune. Anyone who tells you that they single-handedly and fully earned the position they hold today is being less than candid. Luck is a factor, no doubt, but so are hard work, persistence, self-confidence and intentional thinking about where you want to go and how you are going to get there. Luck you have no control over but these other attributes and behaviors you do.

*Based on a presentation at The Forum on Education Abroad Conference, November 18, 2005. Updated and presented at Collegial Conversations Live – Mid-Career Professionals Invited at the NAFSA National Conference, May 2008.