Any college/university professors on Letsrun? I'd like to hear your thoughts on your job

It is possible to train at a high level at all levels in academia. I did it through grad school, postdoc, and pre-tenure as an assistant professor (I was tenured two years ago). The key is that you have a flexible schedule. Except for certain times like when you have to deliver a lecture or have to attend a meeting, you have control of your schedule. I don't want to give you the impression that it is easy (it isn't), but most of the time it doesn't matter when you get the work done, only that you get it done, and it doesn't matter if it is the middle of the night or on a weekend. I would also add it is far from a given that just because you get a PhD it means you will easily get a faculty position. Although it depends on what level you are talking about (junior college, community college, ivy league), faculty positions are progressively harder to get the higher up the ladder of prestige you go.

don't do it.

Bump

I explored becoming a college prof a few years back. After speaking with several, I was disappointed to hear that college profs deal with the same unmotivated kids that I had been dealing with in high school.

Consider teaching AP (or Dual Enrollment) in a high school. You work with college level material, but more importantly, you teach genuinely motivated students. It has been genuinely professionally life changing for me.

All the best.

Your time and autonomy will largely depend on the program and university. If you are at a R1 institution, you will be expected to produce a lot of research. You will be expected to generate grants. You will be expected to teach. Things may ease off a bit after you get tenure. Maybe.

Of course, you can go a different route. My wife is a professor at a school that bills itself as a research institution (but not a R1), but it really is a teaching university. Her tenure requirements are comically easy (1 published paper a year, good teacher reviews). While that is nice for work-life balance, the university's "support" of her research (she is the first professor in her program to ever get a NIH grant) is almost non-existent. That's led to some frustrations for her.

If you go this route, be thorough in exploring what the program expects of you. Also, be honest with yourself about your professional goals. If you want to become an all-american researcher, you might be better off at a R1 institution, but that will probably negatively impact your running. Or, you can work at an institution like my wife's, but your progress in research will be much more self-reliant.

I teach Computer Science classes at a 4 year part time. Just the vocational classes like Java, HTML, C++, Linux, that the main faculty doesn't want to teach and the graduate students can't obtain teaching credits for. I get to meet a lot of cute young COEDs. Cool.

Decided not to go for tenure-track job post-PhD because it was just too much of a hassle with a family (wife, who also has academic position already, and kids).

Cohort-mates of mine with similar productivity/references got tenure track jobs, decent ones, but now live in far-flung places. Which is fine if you're OK with living anywhere and don't have people depending on you. For me, that became less appealing.

I opted to split my time between teaching as an adjunct asst prof and research/freelancing. My family/financial situation allows for that, but yours may not.

Ask yourself: in 5-7 years, what do you want from life? Do you expect to be married? Children? Are you fine with moving anywhere to be able to get a TT job in a really tough job mrarket? Do you really love your field? Are you okay with going into industry?

If you're debt free and enter a PhD program with something like a 25-30k stipend in an area with reasonable cost of living you should be able to remain debt free throughout the course of your program. In that case, the only major cost is the opportunity cost. Doesn't sound like that's an issue for you, so I actually don't think it's super super risky in that case to enter a program. If you hate it, leave. If you decide academia isn't for you, get a terminal masters and move on. If you're ABD and decide academia isn't for you, the job market isn't exaxctly horrible for PhDs (only the academic job market is).

This is an accurate post. I received my PhD from a tier-1...took a position (by choice - tired of BS research) at a tier-3. I work a few hours a day and have tons (my wife says too much) time to train - or do anything else I want.

For 30+ years I have been a professor in a hard science discipline at three different research universities. I also trained to qualify for the Olympic Trials marathon while I was earning tenure, but at the time I was single and had no other time commitments beyond running and my job.

I would certainly make the same choice again. In science and engineering fields you won't make as much money in academia as you could in industry or at a national lab, but your job is a lot more secure and you have far more freedom. If you work in a field like mine that requires a lot of money you will still have to work like a dog to earn the grants needed to support your research, but you get to choose projects you think may be fundable and use your creativity. Unless you are at an absolutely first-rate institution like Caltech, many of your undergraduate students will be neither very bright nor very motivated, but almost every university has some good students and those are very rewarding to teach.

I think it is a good life for someone who really enjoys discovering new knowledge and teaching it to others, and who doesn't base his self-esteem on how much money he has.

I will give a couple of ideas I’ve not seen here.

I once worked with Professors from many universities (elite top schools) at a Gov’t “grant” - granting agency and learned a thing or two.

It is brutal but whatever, they felt that only if you were at a top school (Ivy league) was your research worthy.

Sure, they’d give you Tax payer money but not much respect. They’d laugh at your proposals so make sure your ideas are brilliant, as can be.

My experience at two Universities are interesting too.

Myself, working with undergraduates, over the years, was fun and you had free time but sometimes it was quite disconcerting the threat level of merely teaching.

Like when the “rich kid” social pathic Girl does ...

Or when the entitled son of a business owner stalks you and threatens ...

Your survival instinct kicks in and your genetics tell you that you are in trouble. I’ve merely glanced at a student that I had never spoken to before hand and was seeking my attention to know that they were trouble. I was always proven correct.

Why so cynical?

Because it’s reality.

The free time is ok for run training but I’ve seen some professors lose their minds, literally.

Some professors get tempted into relationships and risk their lives, literally by a jealous BFs or Husbands. I’ve seen the knives come out.

“Fancy professors life” can quickly become Thug Life.

Another Professor (I knew and heard about)

I can’t say what happened. (Blimey, cheesy embarrassed grin)

It’s all sick and disgusting.

He was carted off to the State Hospital.

Anyhow, my good man, my Squire, if you choose that path, indeed, be a good man.

Fun Retirement GIF try it wrote:

I teach Computer Science classes at a 4 year part time. Just the vocational classes like Java, HTML, C++, Linux, that the main faculty doesn't want to teach and the graduate students can't obtain teaching credits for. I get to meet a lot of cute young COEDs. Cool.

Some of my research colleagues teach night classes P/T off campus at JCs to meet nice young males and females.

southerntide wrote:

This is an accurate post.

I received my PhD from a tier-1...took a position (by choice - tired of BS research) at a tier-3. I work a few hours a day and have tons (my wife says too much) time to train - or do anything else I want.

Really good posts around here.

A couple things that remind me of other things.

Someone would have to ask themselves; would you live in Boise Idaho?

Would you live in Athens Ga. (Univ of Georgia)

If you are from Los Angeles would you fall in love and live with your wife and kids in Maine?

Right now in Universities and even research facilities like Los Alamos, MD Anderson, Silicon Valley and Microsoft, people are disliking their life because they feel like they should be living in Boston or New York City or Shanghai.

Be happy

Be grateful