But since I don't have overwhelming numbers of students, I can see the big picture, and work on projects that have a larger scope. For Ms. Schwartz, the benefits of her work in the administration far outweigh its drawbacks. Being a graduate student in English was isolating, and to a certain extent graduate students and junior professors are always in competition with their peers. As a university administrator, by contrast, she has productive relationships with colleagues who are working toward common goals. Other people want my projects to work.
Some administrative jobs involve working directly with graduate students or teaching assistants.
I can advocate for the grad students and support them by teaching practical skills like how to run workshops or write abstracts. Ms. Rudloff defended her dissertation in June, but she plans to keep her job instead of seeking a faculty position. The only thing she misses is teaching, and she plans to remedy that by taking on an evening course starting in the fall. Staying on campus has its drawbacks. To a greater degree than Ph.D.'s who leave campus for careers in different environments, college administrators are constantly reminded of the professorial life they could have had.