In light of my ditching the professorial dream, it’s time for a personal inventory (I’m actually doing personal blogging for a change!). Here are a handful of my strong points:
- I like ideas. I’m pretty good at understanding, manipulating and synthesizing them.
- I’m pretty good with words. I’m an OK storyteller.
- I’m a decent problem-solver.
- I like people. People generally seem to like me.
- I’m passionate, sincere and idealistic.
- I’m a pretty good teacher. I’ve done everything from speeches at political rallies to sermons to academic lectures, and am usually well-received as long as I don’t have to speak extemporaneously.
- I’m not afraid of technology. I seem to thrive where people and tech meet.
- I’ve invested considerable time in the study of society, human behavior, religion, language, media and technology.
I’m not stellar in any one of these areas, but I think it’s the sum of all of these parts that make me interesting and competitive. So when I wanted to become a professor, what exactly was it that I wanted to do?
- teach.
- write.
- mentor.
- read.
- become recognized and respected as an expert.
- have control over my schedule.
- travel.
- hang out with intelligent, talented, creative people.
Here’s the premise for changing my career: it was these aspects that attracted me to the professorial profession. But there’s nothing that says I have to follow the restrictive academic career path to do the above for a living. I could become a journalist, an author, a lawyer, or Andrew Sullivan. 
I’m going to spend some time thinking (out loud, of course) about avenues and subjects that I can pursue. Again, I appreciate any feedback you all have to offer.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Bored in Vernal // May 17, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I’m just curious, since the above list seems to fit so well with academia, why have you decided to jettison the dream of being a professor instead of the IT/programming thing? Is it a question of finances? What has made the dream become “gangrenous”? What makes you think that becoming a journalist/author/lawyer is a better option?
2 jennifer vaughn breinholt // May 18, 2007 at 4:53 am
Why not teach at the community college level? I’ve taught at CC’s for about ten years now (off & on), and am now an associate professor; here are my pro’s & cons:
Pro’s:
can be done with a Master’s;
teach;
mentor;
inspire;
big fish in a little pond (can be an expert);
write;
much independence & freedom (schedule, what & how you teach, etc.);
travel (conferences, etc.);
hang out w/ intelligent, creative people (some of whom are your colleagues!);
CC’s usually have pretty good bennies;
Cons:
basically teaching 13th & 14th grades–sometimes teaching academically underprepared students (so CC’s require humility);
pay not as good as at a university;
IMO, that’s about it on the cons. CC’s are great places to inspire and mentor students. If being a professor and inspiring people are truly your dreams, community colleges can be a great way to fulfill them.
3 Mark // May 18, 2007 at 9:56 am
You could also become a personal coach, a motivational speaker, the list goes on and on. Follow your passion. One thing that I noticed in your list was humility. Time to shout out about what you are great at, what you are passionate about, then follow that path which allows you to live your passion.
4 Kevin // May 18, 2007 at 10:54 am
It seems like the roles you currently have grant opportunities to do all these things (except control your schedule):
parent: teach, mentor, be an expert, hang out with talented people
IT worker with seniority: mentor, be an expert, read, hang out with talented people (depending on your workplace and duties)
blogger: write, read, be an expert, hang out with talented people
active church member: teach, mentor, read, be an expert, hang out with talented people
activist: teach, mentor, travel, hang out with talented people
So it seems like you could do all the fulfilling things you want to with what’s already on your plate, if you just amp it all up a bit and let go of having full control over your schedule.
I’d also second what Jennifer said: what about academic careers that don’t require a PhD? A lot of grad students tend to have tunnel vision and see a tenure-track faculty position at a top-tier research institution as the only career path. With a masters you could be a lecturer at a university, or on the faculty at a community college, or on the faculty at a private school. With a 1-year teaching credential you could teach at a public school.
5 Tammy Takahashi // May 18, 2007 at 11:37 am
John,
I’m in shock, because that list you gave, is my list. I could have written this post. It’s kinda scaring me actually.
I went to grad school with full intention of being a professor. Or at least a teacher. I found there that it is decidedly not what I wanted to do. I want to be a teacher, but not in the academic sense.
With your list of abilities and interests, there is so much you can do.
You can certainly make a living being a writer and a speaker. Perhaps even have multiple streams of income - teach part time at a CC or adult learning center, write, speak, blog for money, do IT work - a little of everything? And build a platform that way?
It’s hard though, because since you have a family, you can’t just live like a bum until you figure out what you want to do, or build up your name. I don’t have an answer, except to say, that there are many answers out there, and none of them are more right than the others, except for what your heart says.
You have a ton of support here. Whatever you choose to do, you won’t be alone, that’s for sure
6 John // May 18, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions and support.
BiV, you ask a pointed question, and I’m going to try to address it in a full-fledged post.
Jennifer, it’s good to see you here! I hope your hubby is well. I’m not leaving my current job any time soon, but I am going to consider doing the community college option part-time, just for the fun of it. Maybe ultimately there’ll be a future for me there.
Tammy, what was it about your experience with grad school that turned you off to it? I’d love to compare notes. And you’re absolutely right about the family duty bit.
Jennifer, Mark, Kevin and Tammy all touched on (in different ways) the idea of flexibility or adaptability. I think that this is part of what I’m trying to work out; my academic career path was fairly structured. By setting that aside, I feel like I’m opening up a wide range of opportunities (including finding fulfillment with my current roles), and your comments show that there’s some promise in this.
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