Some people dream of working in a vibrant university setting. Fortunately, there are plenty of options for individuals interested in pursuing a career in academia. Here, we highlight five interesting academic careers worth of consideration.

Career Counselor

The first profession is a career counselor at a university. A career counselor talks with students who are approaching graduation as well as recent graduates about the careers they wish to pursue. For instance, a counselor who visits with a student who is majoring in education will help him or her evaluate various teaching careers. Perhaps the student wants to start his or her career in a public high school. The counselor will offer suggestions and information on how to go about applying for teaching positions at public high schools. A career counselor often has a list of local employers who are hiring recent graduates in a student’s field of interest. Most career counselors have a master’s degree in psychology, social science or another similar discipline. Their knowledge and skills help them to work more effectively with job seekers.

Assistant Director of Student Development

An assistant director of student development has a variety of tasks related to helping students succeed at the university including overseeing honors programs and monitoring peer advisor programs. An individual in this position may even create literature for prospective students who wish to participate in the honors program. A master’s degree is necessary for this job position. Oftentimes, a university will accept a candidate with a master’s in any sort of discipline. Excellent communication and writing skills are also a plus for this career in academia.

Academic Support Assistant

An academic support assistant helps develop learning assistance programs for students who are having academic challenges. This person helps train student tutors as well as evaluates training materials. An individual in this career searches for online as well as traditional resources that can help students achieve success in their courses. A person with a bachelor’s degree would qualify for this career.

Processing Archivist

Another intriguing career is a processing archivist who specializes in poetry collections. This career charges an individual with maintaining, organizing, and appraising the work of famous poets. All of this poetry is in a collection at a university library. The collection may include literary magazines, photos, and letters as well as poetry manuscripts. This individual must have a masters in library science that includes courses on archiving.

Communication Assistant Librarian

A communication assistant librarian at a university library is responsible for maintaining the library’s collections in the fields of journalism, communication studies and film and media arts. This librarian helps faculty and students to find the research they need. A master’s in library science is required for a start in this career.

These are just a handful of options when it comes to working in a university setting. Whether a person wants to work in the area of research, teaching or administration there are interesting employment opportunities available at both large and small universities.

About the Author

Sheila Weston earned her degree in library science from one of the Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the Midwest and enjoys a challenging career at her alma mater.