I'm a cheater.....

There comes a time in even the most mouthy person's life when they find themselves speechless. Sated from a day of doing next to nothing and a yummy dinner I cooked myself, I have nothing to say tonight.

So I thought I would post something I sent to a former student who asked me about teaching. I'd be interested to hear if anyone finds my view of the profession (teaching on the college level) accurate or would add any other advice.

My old student, now my buddy, Tom hates working in the corporate world. He came to me for some advice because the ivory tower looks really good when you work in a cubicle and deal with TPS reports. Here's what I said. Tom reads the blog so, fellow teachers, comment away.

Tom,

Want an old 35 year old's life lesson? Here goes -- want it or not. At certain times, every job sucks. They just suck in new and exciting ways. Do I think college professoring is the bees knees? Yep, except when it isn't.

1) You don't want a Masters in Education unless you want to teach K-12. To teach at the college level, you need a masters in your field. If you want a shot at being full time somewhere and tenured, you need a PhD. Even then, it's no guarantee you will ever get off the adjunct soup line. Most of the people I work with (other adjunct professors) already have their PhDs and can't advance. I have my job because (not to toot my own horn) I'm pretty good at what I do.

2) It's less stable. This semester I'm teaching 7 courses which is about the equivalent of what two full professors would teach in any given semester. That's a lot of grading. Some semesters, I can't work out a given schedule, and I teach (and am therefore paid) a lot less. It's a trade-off. Even with seven, I make about half what a full professor with 4 would make.

3) People don't always understand how hard you work. Outside of my home, I work two 13 hour days and two 4 hour days a week. My boyfriend and his friends hear that and think "Wow! a 34 hour work week" so they cite that as how "easy" my job is. The time you spend actually in the classroom is about a third of your workload. You also have to create course content, prepare for lectures, grade papers, and meet with students, often at their convenience rather than yours. No one sees this but you because it often happens in your car while commuting (well, except for the meeting the students -- they fire people for doing that).

4) Expect a few years of really having to tighten your belt. I went back in because I was so miserable at John Hancock that my roommate at the time told me she was worried about my mental health if I didn't. I can't work in a corporate environment. I knew the financial realities and organized a pre-crisis bailout. She covered most of my money for a year and a half while I made a name for myself. In my first year of teaching, I made less than $30K -- and that was in Boston where the salaries are higher. Even now, with all I work, I usually make right at or under $50K. You might find that lack of stability a difficult environment. She did, and that's why she stayed teaching in high school. I could not be where I am today without her help and the fact that she never once threw it back in my face. Oh, and I did pay her back, albeit slowly. Do you have that kind of cushion on your own or from someone else?

5) Say you get your PhD and you land a full time job and earn $100K for 20 hours a week. Great, right? Except now, your job is no longer focused on teaching. Now, you have to pick up committee work and advise students officially. Also, to maintain your job, you are expected to continue your research from school for the rest of your life. If you publish like crazy, you get to keep your job. If you don't, it's back to the drawing board.

6) Academia is political. Sure, the folks there aren't as good at it as your IBM counterparts, but still it's there.

So, the good news? You don't have to be a part of politics if you choose not to. There are a lot of people at both schools where I work that I murmur pleasantries to and don't speak to otherwise. When someone pisses me off, I go in my office and close my door and no one bothers me. My colleagues and I do have a shared mission, even though we choose to fulfill it different ways. I get to present my material as I see fit with very little interference and no micro managing from above. I meet interesting students who stimulate my brain more than I ever thought possible. When I teach upper level students, I get to advise on projects so I'm always learning cool stuff, in my field and out of it. When students suck, I can keep my cool because they are gone in four months regardless. (Of course this is true when they rock as well).

Teaching is a way of life. It isn't a job that goes away at five o'clock. That said, do your old professor a favor and never refer to it as your "calling" and don't let anyone else either. You don't take vows of chastity and poverty (although it might feel that way) and you don't have to pull a sword out of a stone. It's a profession, and one that requires a lot of hard work, constant nurturing, and specific learned professional skills that not everyone has or can learn. Some people are NOT capable of teaching. So long as people talk about teachers being "called" to work, we'll never get paid what corporate people are. If you think you are moving into an easier line of work, don't go. The frustrations with IBM you cite will go away, but new ones will emerge -- they always do.

I find it immensely pleasurable, but not everyone does. Students question you and insult you and drive you to the end of your rope at times. You are signing on to work with late-stage adolescents for the rest of your life -- think about that. Remember how crappy you and some of your classmates were (I do.)? Remember the blond guy who loved to tell me how naive and stupid I was in class? You get that all the time. If you are looking for a 100% approval rating, this isn't the job for you. That said, if you love to spend your life defending your principles and thinking about things in ways it never occurred to you to think about them, this really is the life.

Original content will, hopefully, return another time.