Since last night’s finale, I’ve had Breaking Bad on the mind. It may be one of the best television shows I have ever watched. When I was driving to work this a.m. I was thinking of all I had to do this week and then my mind went back to Breaking Bad. At some point this morning, it occurred to me that some of the lessons from the series finale can be applied to student affairs. Mild spoilers are included, but nothing too revealing.

1. Deliver on your promises without compromise. Throughout the season, Vince Gilligan (creator, writer) has promised to wrap up stories in a way that would be satisfying. The series finale did this and there’s really no unanswered questions remaining. It occurred to me that this is similar to how we should approach annual planning, reporting and assessment processes. As we develop goals as departments and divisions, we should ensure these goals drive our work (much as resolution drove Gilligan to write the finale as he did). Realizing these goals and documenting the processes used is a vital part of demonstrating leadership in student affairs work.

2. Examine why it is you do this work (and determine to what extent that’s ok). Without giving too much away, Walter makes a confession to his wife – he had justified his “work” because it was for his family. Last night, he admitted it was because it made him feel alive and valued. Why do you do student affairs work? Is it because you define yourself through how students value you? Or is it because you aim to add value to the lives of students? There’s a difference. Consider your personal foundations, what drives you to do this work?

3. There is calm after the storm. Two episodes prior to the finale (Ozymandias), the world comes undone for Walter and other characters. It was arguably the best hour of the show I have watched. However, the final two episodes don’t live up to the pace or drama of Ozymandias (though PARTS of the finale feel as edge of your seat awesome). During these two episodes things were wrapped up, relationships were examined, Walt went into and came out of hiding, etc. The pace was different and I think many audience members may have felt let down. Well, we shouldn’t.

Many of us who work in student affairs take a breath after a large scale event and to some extent we might miss the activity and interactions around the event. What we should do is come to value the times when we are not driven by someone else’s agenda and develop our own – get caught up on other projects, develop reports, document program successes. All things we can do better in our student affairs work.

I believe we can learn a lot from a show like Breaking Bad (not to mention the anti-drug campaigns that are very helpful). I think pop culture teaches us about who were are and allows us to reflect on what we should and could do. What are lessons you’ve learned from Breaking Bad? Other shows? Music? How do you apply those in your work?