Why become a professor? 12 best Motivators

December 9, 2022

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Why Become a professor? It might be difficult for many people to decide on a career path. If you are currently pursuing a postgraduate degree, you may be considering your job options.

The highest teaching post an academic can hold in a college or university is that of a professor. Professors are leaders in their fields who deliver lectures, guide students, and do research. You can think about becoming a professor if you wish to pursue a career in academia. In this post, we’ll look at five occupations that graduate students and professors can apply for as well as 12 reasons to become a professor.

Why Become a professor? 12 Motivators

1. Job security

In order to staff expanding departments or take over for retiring academics, higher education institutions frequently need skilled and enthusiastic professors. A university that recognizes your knowledge and abilities as a teacher might grant you tenure. You can work permanently and conduct the research you’re enthusiastic about as a tenured professor.

2. Flexibility

It’s possible that professors don’t always work the standard 9 to 5 business hours. The focus of their workdays, which may involve research, office hours, teaching, or attending meetings, may easily be accommodated by the schedules they create for themselves. They may also have the choice to work from home. During the summer, some instructors also get extra time off.

3. Job satisfaction

Professors frequently write their own lectures, allowing them to include their specialized interests or recent research in their area of expertise. If, for example, you were inspired to become a professor by Shakespearean literature and you work in the English department of a university, you might routinely get the chance to teach and do analyses of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets.

4. Sharing knowledge

Professors frequently decide on their job path because they enjoy instructing and wish to spread their knowledge. Through their instruction, they have the power to influence the lives of young people. Mentoring students to help them achieve in their academics and jobs is beneficial for many teachers. Through their studies, they can also have a good influence on society or the environment.

5. Professional esteem

Professors devote years to obtaining their doctorates or master’s degrees and continuing their education. They may have the chance to speak at conferences or serve as advisors on various initiatives outside of academia because they are authorities in their subject. When they publish their study in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals, they can become even more well-known.

6. Continued learning

Many colleges demand that academics keep learning throughout their careers in order to stay current in their disciplines. Some colleges may provide training opportunities when groups of professors from various departments gather on a regular basis to exchange teaching expertise. Other institutions encourage teachers to enroll in seminars, workshops, conferences, and courses to earn continuing education credits.

7. Sabbaticals

A sabbatical, sometimes known as paid time off for study or travel, is offered to professors. For every seven years they work, they normally receive one year of sabbatical, though the length of time varies by university. Professors can utilize this time off from the classroom to travel, publish a book, conduct research, or visit colleges abroad. They are permitted to take up their prior teaching position once the sabbatical is up.

8. Independence

In establishing and preparing their own courses, lectures, and assignments within the department’s curriculum, professors frequently enjoy a certain amount of freedom. Compared to experts working in corporate positions, professors often have less monitoring. Despite the fact that they might report to a department head, they could not be under the same level of supervision.

9. Travel

Nearly every city or nation with a college or university has employment opportunities for professors. They now have the chance to experience other cultures and live in various areas. Additionally, professors may get invited to attend conferences and travel to other universities to teach or do research.

10. Collaboration

Professors collaborate with a range of people in their academic specialization and beyond. To do research, they might team up with teams of academic professionals or groups of students. Universities frequently urge their employees to work on interdisciplinary projects.

11. Career outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of professors is expected to rise by 12% between 2020 and 2030. In comparison to many other jobs, this growth rate is faster than the national average. The BLS estimates that professors in fields including engineering, biology, health, and psychology may experience the largest growth.

12. Salary and benefits

According to BLS data, professors have the potential to make high wages, with a typical annual wage of $80,560. Depending on the educational institution, the number of years of prior experience, and the field of expertise, this value fluctuates considerably. Additionally, a lot of colleges provide academics benefit packages that cover things like health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, loan forgiveness, and tuition reimbursement.

Advantages of Becoming a Professor

1. Rewarding

The fact that becoming a university instructor may be highly fulfilling is the primary motivation. You can discuss a topic that truly interests you. Young people’s enthusiasm for their topic grows, their academic performance improves, and you have the opportunity to help them decide on a future career. Students can inspire you and force you to rethink how you approach your academic work. Because most students participate in their selected course, serious disciplinary issues may be uncommon.

2. Training

University training New lecturers are now given training to assist them improve their pedagogical abilities. Small groups of new professors from throughout the institution meet frequently during this training, which typically lasts one year, to hone their teaching abilities. At the conclusion of the course, they receive a recognized and transferable teaching qualification.

3. Flexible scheduling

When you are not required to be on campus for teaching or administrative duties, many colleges let you work from home during those times. As a result, juggling family obligations is easier than it would be in a regular “nine to five” job. You do not need to be in the department every day, therefore a lengthier drive to work may be feasible. Many professors communicate with students and colleagues via email and SMS (which reduces the need for constant presence in the department).

4. Autonomy

University lecturers frequently exercise actual autonomy over their instruction, in contrast to schoolteachers. They have the option to decide whatever subject matter and delivery style best suits their teaching style. A single lecturer is frequently in charge of creating the course. The lecturer can schedule the topics for each week as well as how the course will be graded.

5. Research

Lecturers are encouraged to conduct active research in addition to handling classroom assignments. Even if the two strands of work could complement one another, it can be difficult to incorporate both responsibilities into one position. You are regarded as an authority in your subject if you are working on your research and publications. Additionally, it can significantly improve your standing as a teacher in the eyes of both your students and your colleagues.

5 jobs for professors

Depending on their degree of education and experience, professors or individuals looking to pursue a career in academia may qualify for a variety of options. Here are five positions that a professor might fill.

1. Adjunct professors

Senior-level teachers who work on a contract or part-time basis are often considered adjunct professors. They do not have the duties of being a full-time university employee, but they do design course materials and teach classes. The institution might not compel them to conduct research or go to department meetings, for instance.

2. Associate professors

Mid-level professors are associate professors. Despite having more years of expertise and tenure, they often perform identical duties to assistant professors. They carry on teaching while simultaneously doing research. They can submit a full professor application after around six years.

3. Professor

Full professors are tenured, upper-level professors who are authorities in their fields. They frequently have carried out a sizable amount of earlier investigation. Professors may have fewer classes to teach than they had when they were associate or assistant professors, but they still teach graduate and senior-level undergraduate courses. Full professors may serve in executive capacities within their departments.

4. Assistant professors

Professors with advanced degrees and some prior teaching or research experience are called assistant professors. Many assistant professors agree to six-year contracts with universities, and after their fifth year, they are eligible to seek for tenure. Teaching, lecturing, researching, and counseling students are among their duties.

5. Graduate teaching assistant

A graduate student who assists in instructing undergraduate courses is known as a graduate teaching assistant. Graduate teaching assistantships are frequently taken by aspiring professors in order to get teaching experience while pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in their area of specialization. Additionally, they might assist a professor with lesson planning, mark essays and tests, run study sessions, and provide office hours to respond to inquiries from students.

FAQS on Why Become a professor?

What personality traits are typical among professors?

Professors could be extremely curious about a particular topic of study. One advantage of becoming a professor is being able to focus all of one's time on research and even new discoveries. Due to the fact that professors often spend their time teaching, counseling, and collaborating with other faculty members, they may also be quite social. Given the length and amount of effort required to become a professor, perseverance can also be a useful quality.

How do I go about becoming a professor once my graduate work is done?

There are two different job categories for new professors. The position might be started as an adjunct professor or on a tenure-track. Adjunct professors often work a set number of hours per week for a set period of time. Permanent workers are tenure-track professors.

What are the advantages teaching at a college or university?

A college or university's sense of community might be appealing to professors. They can make valuable contributions to the school, establish friends with other pupils, and gain knowledge from other academics. Professors may be required to teach a particular number of classes at some universities, while others may urge them to concentrate on research.

Is the field competitive for professorships?

Depending on the field, there may be stiff competition for professorships. While it is less intense in sectors like business, competition is fierce in the social sciences and humanities. While many people aspire to be academics, fewer actually succeed in finishing their dissertations.

Conclusion

One of the most significant professions in the world is teaching, and we’ve outlined twelve reasons why you should choose a career in being a professor. Few things are as fulfilling as making a positive influence in young people’s lives by encouraging and mentoring them to become the best versions of themselves. Subject knowledge is only one aspect of teaching; the happiness it brings is indescribable.

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