Becoming a resident assistant at my college campus has contributed to major changes in my life. It has caused a major shift in responsibility, the way I handle tough situations, and the way I am able to act professionally. It also comes with major benefits. It looks amazing on a resume, it helps pay tuition, you make amazing friends and you get to go to special events within the resident assistant community. This job has changed me for the better, and if your heart is in it, it could change you too!
One of the amazing perks of this position as an RA is that as a person, you grow immensely. From personal experience, I have learned so much through the hardships of the resident assistant job. It teaches you who your friends are and who will support you through stressful moments in which you feel you may break. From these hardships, you learn how to communicate under massive amounts of stress. You learn to effectively fix a problem that otherwise may blow up. You gain the skills to think on your feet and use the amazing resources that are on your college campus, even if the resources are for your own well being. All of these things you learn can be applied to your own life, as well as the lives of others too.
This job may have incredibly fun moments, such as the RA in services, where everyone plays bingo, or colors together while watching a presentation. It has outings like camp or of course, training. These fun moments lead to an almost unbreakable bond between staff members. You get to know facts about people that you may have never known before. You learn about your employers too. It is a job that brings out the best in people. You get to see compassion, care for others and the want to help and serve. You learn from the people in your staff, and you can teach them too. You relate to so many people, because most of them are in this position for the same reasons as you.
The position is not all bright and cheery though. There are incredibly tough moments, moments where you will sit down and cry for a good half an hour. The moments that you feel like you cannot balance it all. The moments where you just want to scream because something is so stupid. Some situations are intimidating. They make you shake with nerves and you feel like you’ll never get through. It may seem like a lot at times, but these are the moments that break you down and build you back up. The reality is, you do get through those moments. You deal with situations that are so incredibly serious, and others that aren’t, and they help you regardless of what they are. These challenges are challenges that make you stronger as a person. I remember my first encounter with a rule breaker and how incredibly nervous I was, but from that moment on, I have grown. Dealing with these issues consistently makes you aware of the resources you have and how to use them. It makes you more confident because you know you have people to back you up. You become comfortable communicating with others and you know to be nice and always helpful and when to be nice, but tough. You learn to stand up and say something when you see something. You learn the skills to help others and quite honestly, they come very naturally. This position is an amazing opportunity and is one that can change you for the better. All the moments of crying, or nerves, or stress is completely worth it. Every second in this job helps you grow.
The benefits are great too. Yes, this job looks great on a resume. If you can take care of a group of people, you can clearly manage yourself and future employers will recognize this. You also get paid for the job which is a good perk. But these benefits are actually lesser than the ones you will find within the community of resident assistants. As I spoke of before, you make incredible bonds. You have become a part of a system where you have incredible support, whether that be from your fellow resident assistants, the area coordinators (or your bosses), and the whole staff that manages student life. They will back you up one-hundred percent if you are contributing to this role. They will help talk through resident problems, personal problems, and will be there to cheer you up whenever you need. They go through the same stresses you do. It is an incredibly diverse community of people from many different backgrounds. There are many different opinions to learn from, different experiences to hear and different lessons to learn from these people. This is so great because all these different people are also working towards the same goal as you; creating a safe, healthy and fun environment to live in, while promoting good communication, the bettering of the community around and the drive to do well. You also get to do activities with your group and these can help build upon the bonds created.
I truly believe that if you want to be an RA, your heart has to be in the job completely. You have to want to make a difference in the lives around you and you have to be willing to follow all the rules, but if you can do this it will be life changing. The RA role is not for everyone, but it is an amazing job if you are up for the task. It has only been just under a year since I have become an RA but I have learned so much along the way. This job is one that will make an impact on you for the rest of your life and I highly recommend it if you have a goal of personal growth and making a positive impact on others.
