So you think you want to be a professor?

This how-to series is designed for those looking to break into the university or college teaching profession, as a part-time, or adjunct professor. The teaching / tenure track for full-time PhD’s, is quite different and this will not address strategies for securing tenure, in the beginning.

This is designed for professionals who wish to enter the rewarding field of university faculty. Full-time, tenure track positions may be available after becoming an established adjunct, however, that is not the goal of this series. If you are interested in learning how to secure a tenured faculty position, please find a mentor who is in this position and ask them for guidance. Each university has slightly different emphasis for tenure track positions, so your search much begin with what type of university you are looking for.

The college classroom is not a classroom, but rather a sacred, holy place. It is my church. Why? Because this gathering of students, regardless of the physical environment, has the potential to change lives. Earning a degree, and more importantly, and education, has the potential to transform the life of the student for the better. Not only are they more likely to earn more money over their lifetime, but they are more likely to be employed.

And more than just transforming the life of the student, a college education may change that student’s family tree forever. First generation college graduates have much lower graduation rate than those students who came from families of college graduates. When I was in high school and I told my family that I was thinking about going to college, they did not understand. I heard comments like, “What fer?” “You just got done with all them years of schooling, why would you go back for more?” “We can get you on at the plant.” Conversely, when I visited my girlfriends’ home, their discussions revolved around not if she was going to college, but focused on which ones she would apply to.

Before you step into a classroom, reflect on the gravity of the potential impact you will have. And you will have an impact, whether you want to or not. Your job isn’t to teach a subject, but rather to inspire your students to think, reflect, challenge, and ask more questions. Some will love you. Some will revile you. Some will try to play on your sympathies. Some will inspire you. I’ve said it a million times and it is true; this is the best gig on the planet.

Stay tuned for additional specific strategies for identifying universities that are hiring, how to successfully prepare, land your adjunct faculty job, then ultimately, how to be assigned your first class.

Greg Evans, PhD

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