So you want to be a resident assistant? I can honestly see why. It looks good on a resume, you get free housing, and it pays (not very well but…it pays). I think that when I signed up to be a Resident Assistant freshman year I had a distorted view of what it’s like. I thought that it would be a lot easier than it actually is. I figured that I could make door decs and bulletin boards and it would be a breeze. I mean we’re all adults in college. How bad could a “babysitting job” be?
I can’t speak for every Resident Assistant, but I can personally attest that it’s one of the hardest jobs that I ever had. Duty lasts from eight at night and doesn’t end until seven in the morning. You can either have the phone or the log. If you have the phone, any resident within your area can call you and you have to get up out of bed to answer it. If you have log, then you have to write a report on any incidents (alcohol busts, roommate conflicts, ect.) that may happen within this period of time. In between, you have rounds throughout the night where you walk around the building making sure that there aren’t any incidents.
However, if something happens while you are at your dorm, it’s fair game. During training, I was told that Resident Assistants don’t have breaks. And it’s true. There has been times where I had to get out of bed because of something going on in the hallway or I had to come home because a resident needed me.
Sometimes you have to decide between the easy thing and the right thing to do. It’s hard to get out of bed when a person who is locked out gave you an attitude. It’s even harder to puff out your chest and act like your confident when a situation honestly scares you. I’m not allowed to talk about incidents, much less write about them online, but there’s been times where I found myself shaken to my core after incidents.
But through all of it’s difficulties it does have its upsides. I love that my residents have a place to go when they need it. I’m very much a ‘if you want it done right do it yourself’ and it’s nice that I can help my residents in a way that I see fit. It’s a good feeling knowing that your needed and appreciated for what you do.