I’m an Advisor, Not a Problem Solver

Teaching students to fish and fail

The title “advisor” can mean something different depending on who you ask. Many assume I am some sort of counselor. Others take the literal meaning of advisor and guess I am “someone who gives advice” — I suppose that’s true. However, one thing I am not is a problem solver; in its literal sense. To students this can be problematic. Some schedule meetings with me expecting I magically make their problems vanish.

Poof. All gone.

Unfortunately for them, that is not who I am nor how my job works. If a student needs help deciding which classes to take or learn more about another major, I am happy to help. What I won’t do is talk to their professor about adding a class past the add deadline because they forgot. They can do that. I also won’t call the financial aid office and give them a breakdown of their finance package. That is not my job.

I will point students in the right direction. I will advise them on what courses they need to take to graduate on time. I will listen to roommate conflicts and problems going on at home. I won’t solve them, but I’ll listen. I’ll even throw in some brilliant piece of advice too. Because, you know, I am an advisor.

On top of advising, I equip. I equip students to be ready for the world outside of school. I help them learn proper communication skills, address conflict, and take responsibility into their own hands. Maybe I should change my title to equipper. Because ultimately I am not giving students fish, but teaching them how to fish. I am an advisor, cheerleader, coach, and helper, but I am not a problem solver.

To some, this can come across as harsh. But to many, they view this as the best thing we can do for our students. You see, many students today come from households where they do not have to lift a finger to get something done. They ask and receive. When they see me, they expect I figure out why a professor gave them a failing grade— all to avoid a potentially awkward confrontation. That’s not how the real world works. By guiding students to resources and teaching them how to use them we are helping them become their own problem solvers. If I advise a student to talk to a faculty member about a poor test grade now, they will learn how to handle similar situations in the future. They can learn to address conflict, regardless of how major or minor it may be. Students should be learning inside and outside the classroom. Oftentimes students learn the most applicable skills when dealing with situations not related with their coursework. Living with a new total stranger can be a great learner experience after all.

Obviously, there are times when it is appropriate to literally fix a problem. Yet I do not advocate avoiding conflict or running to mom or dad the moment one faces adversity. So do me a favor parents, don’t call me the moment something goes wrong with your child. They got this.

Sometimes this means facing consequences. Students that forget to add a class have to own up to the consequences of not being able to get into the class they wanted until next semester. Failure is one of the best teachers. We often view failure as a seismic event that radically alters our lives, when in reality most of the time we learn from small failures. Forget to submit your timesheet on time? You won’t when you have to wait an additional two weeks to get paid. Leave your lunch in your fridge? You won’t forget it the next day after being hungry all day. Failure is a teacher that — just like faculty — we need to help our students get aquatinted with. Let them try new things. Let them fail. After all, I’m not a problem solver, the students are.

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