The life of a Resident Assistant, or RA , can be very crazy, especially with classes, sports, clubs and other jobs. I had the privilege of being an RA this past year at my college, and I realized that being an RA was a job creating door decs, building relationships with my girls or catching people breaking rules. It was an experience that taught me so much about life, and I learned some pretty important lessons from the job.
1. The amount of work put into something does not always correlate with success.
As an RA, it is expected that we complete programs for our floors. For some programs, I would put a few hours of work into it just to have one or two people show up. Other times, I would plan something really quick and half my floor would be there. It really goes to show that sometimes the work you put into something will not always have the successful outcome you want.
2. Expect the unexpected.
Coming into the job, I expected girls to come and talk with me about their issues. Some days it felt like everyone on my floor (and more) needed my help, while other days no one came and talked with me. Life fluctuates, and it’s important not to have any expectations for how it will go. With each new day comes different opportunities to help someone, and the help given will come in all unexpected shapes and sizes.
3. Not everyone is going to like you.
The honest truth is that with this job, or any job, there are going to be people who absolutely love you and others who just don’t. Sometimes people will come to you for help and they will be so grateful. Others will be mad at you because you busted them for something they shouldn’t be doing. Either way, you can’t please everyone, and that’s just fine and dandy.
4. You don’t have to be a Picasso to succeed.
Let me tell you, I am not artistic by any means. I can’t even draw dresses on my stick figures without messing up. But that’s why there are many resources, like computers and dye-cut machines that can help a person look professional. Also, chances are you will care more about how your product actually looks than others.
5. Mistakes are not the end of the world.![]()
There will be days where you feel like you’ve done everything wrong in your job. You might not have completed paperwork on time or should have done a program that didn’t happen. Your supervisor might also remind you that you messed up during a procedure. It happens, though. You will always make mistakes in your job, but it is important to know that making one mistake will not land you homeless on the street.
6. With great power, comes great responsibility.
There were times as an RA when all I wanted to do was break the rules because I knew that no one would catch me, especially since I was responsible for enforcing them. But it’s important to realize that when you are in a leadership position, people are looking to you as a role model. If someone were to find out that you broke the rules you would not only get in trouble, but you would also let others down.
7. Cherish every moment, even the bad ones.
After checking out more than 30 girls on my floor, I was so happy to be done with my job. As I look back, though, I realize just how many great moments helped make my job so much fun. The good times completely outweigh the bad, and they always will. All good things come to an end, but now that it is all over, I realize I will miss my job as an RA, even those bad moments. I would do it all again in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
