Question:
What would be a good thing to teach if I want to be a college professor?
anonymous
2011-10-10 15:05:51 UTC
I would like to be a college professor but don't know what I should major in or what I should teach. What are some fields that are needing college professors right now? Please list three if you can.
Five answers:
Dr. Innovation
2011-10-10 19:24:11 UTC
Short answer: top three: CS, Engineering, Business. But being a professor is much more than teaching.



First off, there are many types of "college", and the top colleges/universities are far more about research than teaching. Most college's require Professors to have a Doctorate (generally Ph.D), which means you'll have to do some research. Tenure at even more teaching oriented school's still depend on research. So what every you choose it better be something you are good at and something you want to spend a LOT of time doing.



Being a prof is a bit like running a small business. You need many skills (research, teaching, proposal writing, management of people, managing budgets,etc). Its a lot of work, but it is the best job there is.

If you are thinking it sounds like an easy job, forget about it. Its a job that doing well takes many hours, but most profs really love their job so its not really work. I (we) love what we do, so its more like hours of fun.



Both teaching and research are rewarding and part of why I wanted to become a professor, which I decided in 6th grade. I originally wanted physics, but talking to physics prof and grad students I learned the job market there is very difficult. Talking to students I learned most disliked their physics profs. I talked to many profs, looked at the potential job market (in and out of academic) and decided where I wanted to go. The more jobs for Ph.d. in a field outside academics, the more job potential inside academics. Looking at current jobs lists is difficult, the best fields may be those that don't exist yet and what is hot now may cool in 10 years.



I switched to CS, and still think that is one of the Best choices because there are so many non-academic jobs that use Ph.Ds. its still a growing field, but academic jobs are hard to get. Security is hot now, but by the time you get you degree who knows.



Any engineering will still have demand, but its tough. Something new (bioengineering, green energy, etc) may have more openings but could also fade in a decade.



Business can also be good, again because there is a market for the skills outside of academics. While most students can be paid (as a GRA) to work while getting their Ph.D. in CS or Engineering, expect to pay for Business school.



Chem and Bio are okay in the job area as the biotech and other sectors take some away from academics.



The lack of external jobs is why physics, and any liberal art field is very very tough (and pays much less. A prof in English or history might make less than a starting engineer in industry with a BS or MS. )





If you are thinking about this, find some good "research" prof you can in your area, even if you are in HS, and start a conversation. Most don't bite and if you say you are interested in research will be interested in talking. I talk to a dozen or so HS students every hear, hire 1-2 ever year (and dozens of undergraduates). In in DC with some of my students, and a student that started with me in HS, now a Junior in College, is presenting his first paper at an international conference. I'm helping him get ready for a good Ph.D. program so he can become a professor (his goals). I've lead a dozen students to becoming Ph.D. students many of who started as undergraduates and some of who I met while they were in H.S. This is something you can get started on now.
eri
2011-10-10 15:21:49 UTC
No field is lacking professors. There are always far more people who want to teach college (and are qualified to teach college) than there are jobs for them. The thing to do is to avoid certain fields where you can't do much of anything else with the PhD besides teach. Get a PhD in something you can use for things other than teaching, and you'll have a better shot at a teaching job (since those other jobs pay better than teaching). Try engineering, nursing, law, business, or the harder sciences (physics, chem, geology). They're still very competitive for teaching jobs, however - every job gets hundreds of applicants.



Colleges don't use the normal job sites, and many don't hire any particular field more than once every 10 years or so. You don't just go and submit a resume. It's a lot more complicated than that.
anonymous
2011-10-10 16:13:32 UTC
Eri is right. That's not the way it works. You need to figure out what you're good at. Your school may have an aptitude test you can take, or there are some free ones online. Then you go to college and get a degree in that. If you do really well, your professors will recommend that you go to graduate school. If you find that you like doing research, and you do it well, you can continue on for a Ph.D.
anonymous
2016-10-23 15:51:12 UTC
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TJ
2011-10-10 15:13:34 UTC
The best thing to do is go online and look at classifieds or careerbuilder.com and see if there is anything out there or go to the college itself and just apply. Go for what makes you feel good and what interest you most. If you do this I feel you could make learning much more easier and possibly fun.


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