So you want to be a professor?
Launching a career in higher education teaching
This free course answers your questions about how to start a career as a professor in higher education including advice on whether such a career path is right for you. As an added bonus, I have provided a list of higher ed job boards and related resources to aid in the job search process.
Professors, teachers who teach in colleges and universities, have one of the coolest gigs going. At least that's what I think after doing so for 20 years. In addition to teaching myself, I have hired and supervised well over a thousand faculty across the different colleges and universities that I have worked at.
My first year of college, recovering from a broken heart, I decided that I should pursue a career that I would enjoy...teaching runs in my family...and teaching at a university seemed like it would be my dream job. My path to that job was not a straight line...I deviated to work in industry for a few years including starting my own business before I received the call asking me to teach a class for a local college. That class turned into more, and within a year I was working there full-time. Soon I advanced to become an administrator, but I have always stayed active in the classroom.
Being a professor means being able to help students pursue their own dreams. Today, most students are not young adults continuing their education straight from high school. Instead, the typical student is a working adult juggling school with work, family, and other responsibilities. Many of the students study online to maximize their flexibility. Personally, I find these students to be the most rewarding to teach. They come to class with real life experience that helps them understand what they are learning, and they are motivated to be successful not just for themselves but for their families.
One of the frequent questions I get is how to become a professor. This is a complicated question, and I have created this course to share my recommendations.