Are you thinking of becoming a professor? Academia involves a major commitment, so think hard. Here are some advantages to life as a professor.
Should you be a professor? Is an academic career the right choice for you? Pursuing a career in academia is a major commitment that involves many years of graduate study and an incredible amount of work, so think hard and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of this career choice.
Here are some advantages to being a professor. Be sure to check out the disadvantages as well!
* Rewarding work. Most people choose to go into academia because they find the long hours rewarding. You get to share your knowledge and insights with classrooms full of students, and change the lives of some of them. You get to write about topics that interest you greatly.
* Meaningful work. Some people choose academia in part as an alternative to the corporate world. Teaching and writing can feel a whole lot more meaningful than making a corporation richer.
* You get to use your mind every single day. Professors don't push papers (or at least not many). They don't have to do mindless projects for middle management. You get to spend your days with ideas, and with people with whom you will share those ideas and gather new ones.
* You get to write. If this doesn't sound like an advantage you, you may want to point your career search elsewhere (and not stick around for graduate school)
* A flexible schedule. Professors work hard, but they also have a fair amount of choice about when they work. If you have a family, you can schedule some of your work around them.
* Travel! Professors frequently go to academic conferences to deliver papers and to network with others in the field. Many universities pay for all the trip expenses. Yes, you'll be plenty busy at the conference, but you'll still have time to get to know the city.
* Summer break and long vacations. Not many careers come with long breaks for Thanksgiving and the holidays and summers free. Now, you probably will do plenty of work during these breaks, especially writing, but you can also take advantage of some much needed free time. Professors also get periodic sabbaticals, where they are relieved from all duties except to work on an extensive writing project.
* Fabulous people. Yes, some of the people you'll meet in academia are nutjobs. But you'll also meet fascinating and brilliant people from all over the world.
* Job security (someday). Yes, earning tenure is no easy feat. But once you have tenure, you're set! Few other careers offer this possibility.
* Prestige. Well, maybe not tons of prestige. But your mom can proudly tell all her friends, "My kid is a professor!"
