How do you know if teaching college is for you?

[Double J]

I've entertained the idea of teaching marketing/business classes in the near future. However, I know that teaching is not for everyone.

 

Some say teaching college classes best suits extroverts, while others feel introverts make better professors.

 

As an introvert, I enjoy being deep in thought, immersing myself in theoretical concepts, etc. But that's not to say that I'd be fit to stand up in front of a class of 40 and lecture for 2 hours.

 

Given how much I love to write and conduct research into virtually any topic under the sun, I've wondered if working for academic publishing companies like Kaplan and the Princeton Review might be more up my alley. But even those jobs seem to favor those with teaching experience.

 

Are there any current, former or aspiring college professors who could chime in on this? Please share your experiences.

[shuttlefish]

Give it a try I say! Life is long enough to make some occasional career misteps. It's something that I've always wanted to do as well and I'm not super introverted either.

If you are teaching something you are passionate about then it's a breeze.

[marshmlofluff]

As an introvert, I enjoy being deep in thought, immersing myself in theoretical concepts, etc. But that's not to say that I'd be fit to stand up in front of a class of 40 and lecture for 2 hours.

 

As an introvert and college professor who just finished my first year teaching, I did indeed find it draining. The ickiest part was the evaluations, some of which (no matter how good a teacher you are) are inevitably going to be personal attacks on your clothing, figure, whatever. You need a really, really thick skin to teach teenagers.

 

Also no matter how much passion you have for your field, it's never a breeze--just like loving someone does not make marriage a breeze. Grading, writing exams super-carefully to be fair, writing homework super-carefully to be fair, etc. are difficult and often mindnumbing tasks no matter how much you love your field, as is explaining to Student #25 that no, you cannot raise his grade to a "C" so he can play baseball. Keep in mind that typically a large fraction of the students are NOT passionate about your particular subject; they are there to fulfill a requirement, and you are a means to their end.

 

But if you are in a field where you can try teaching college classes, without investing 12 years in a PhD/postdoc/whatever to reach the point where you can do it, then sure--what do you have to lose? You may love it. Many people do.

 

On the plus side, you will learn your field really, really well, and make a lot of connections to a lot of people, and tremendously improve your communication/people skills. A few students will love you no matter what you do. And some people find an intense thrill in the light that comes over a student's face when s/he finally "gets" a difficult concept. So teaching is a very rewarding profession in many ways, too.

[RyanGeist]

It's certainly worth a shot. Considering your skill set and preferences, it sound like a good match. The only way of knowing for sure is trying it on. You've got more to lose by standing still on the subject than you do going for it.

 

I fit into the aspiring professor category. I graduated with a degree in journalism, took a job in the private sector, and even though it fit my experience and skills exactly, I still found myself unfulfilled. Lost the job, came back to my hometown, and spent my evenings in the local university library reading the theory that captivated me. The atmosphere and books always were so inviting.

 

Had a heart-to-heart with a professor about it over coffee. "You know what I like to do the most?" I said to him. "I like to think and write. I want to do that for a living." He looked at me with a grin and said "why, that's what I do."

 

My masters program begins in the fall. I'm on a teaching assistantship, and I'll be helping the bright young minds of Journalism 200. To use the parlance, I am stoked like majorly, bro.

 

The territory comes with some stereotypes. You know the whole bit about ivory towers and the cliche "those who can't do, teach." But I'm following a dream and don't have time to listen to nonsense from people with insecurities about their life choices.

 

Good luck, and power to you.