The purpose of this book is to help new student affairs workers in higher education make an easier transition from graduate student to full-time professional. It also hopes to increase the retention of professionals who enter the field. This book provides an examination of key issues facing new professionals and suggests ways of thinking about the challenges and opportunities that are offered by careers in student affairs. It includes the following chapters: (1) "Unwritten Rules: Organizational and Political Realities of the Job" (Marilyn J. Amey); (2) "Toward an Ethic for the Profession" (Thomas E. McWhertor and David S. Guthrie); (3) "Supervisor as Architect, Catalyst, Advocate, and Interpreter" (Ronald S. Schneider); (4) "Making Professional Connections" (Lori M. Reesor); (5)"Reconciling the Professional and the Personal for the New Student Affairs Professional" (J. Douglas Toma, Catherine Clark, and Bruce Jacobs); (6) "Pathways to Success in Student Affairs" (Florence A. Hamrick and Brian O. Hemphill); and (7) "Voices of Experience" (Stuart Tennant and Daniel Brungardt). Appendix A, "Professional Organizations in Student Affairs and Higher Education," and Appendix B, "NASPA Monograph Contributors," are also included. Most chapters contain references. (MKA)