i am glad you are here
Making it this far to explore what I’m about means that you must have a strong drive to develop yourself both as a person and a professional. There are many areas to grow in our lives and many ways to do it. We grow ourselves intellectually, creatively, socially, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. We challenge ourselves by climbing mountains, learning new ideas, trying new tasks, joining different groups, or taking risks.
There is something very special about this human ability. Growth usually starts when we reflect on our status and compare it to an aspiration. We then commit to a direction and begin searching for tools that will help us along the way. This guy over here had the aspiration of making it up a mountain and probably found water, hiking boots, and maps helpful.
I wrote The Unwritten Rules of Professional Etiquette as a tool for growing ourselves professionally, which necessarily happens through relationships with colleagues, faculty, and employers. It’s a map for getting to the top of the mountain. Your being here suggests that this is meaningful to you, and if you grow as a result of the content here then we all rise up together. That is why I’m glad that you are here. Thank you for visiting my site.
Why I Like Working with Students So Much
When a person enrolls in an academic or training program they most often already have a positive attitude and an open learning stance. After all, being in a program is exciting! You are learning the most cutting edge knowledge, entering new social networks, and moving towards your dreams. College students are eager, courageous, funny, sincere, and insightful. Even when they are not, they are packed with potential. The most rewarding aspects of my work is witnessing this potential unfold. I am fortunate to teach in a graduate program that is five years long, because the growth and change that can be seen over five years is quite amazing.
You have probably heard the saying, “if your job is something you enjoy then it’s not work.” I have experienced this to be true.
How I Wrote This Book
To be completely honest, I did not originally set out to write this book. I seem to have always had a sincere interest in wanting students to be successful, so I have tried to be transparent with how faculty and others think. I would put this advice in various places: special handouts, lecture slides, emails, etc.
At one point, a student mentioned to me that it would be nice to have a handbook that gave students guidance on how to handle the various situations that naturally arise in graduate school. I began collecting the pieces of advice that were scattered throughout my materials to work on this handbook, but then I started writing more and more. I was expanding on the advice, finding other topics that were relevant, and providing context and rationale for why this was important.
Ultimately, it occurred to me that it was not just the students in my program that I cared about. Publishing the advice in book form was merely a tool to extend the reach of these important ideas.
Get your copy now
Paperback
Ebook
