Is It Still Worth Trying to Become a Professor?

“I don’t know how professors teach without fighter-pilot experience.”

“I don’t know how professors teach without fighter-pilot experience.” That’s a quote from Dr. Mary Cummings, an electrical engineering professor at Duke University. She’s also a former Navy fighter pilot and one of the Navy’s first female aviators.

Is it worth trying to become a professor anymore? Many of my coaching clients and graduate students ask me this question - often. The answer is, sadly, for most individuals: no.

Of course, the answer to this question is highly individualized. As a very recent professor emeritus and an experienced psychologist and career coach, allow me to share what I see as some key considerations when considering this career path:

-The first, and most obvious consideration, is the costs, both financial and especially the time and stress it takes to earn a Ph.D. Even those with full fellowships (or who come from wealth) should consider what we call the “opportunity costs” of such a profound commitment. Is it worth it to commit 4-8 years of your life? Is it worth possibly delaying starting a family, buying a home, and foregoing the income you could have made in another profession? Like many people considering medical school, many of the brightest choose other high-paying career paths where their intelligence is rewarded more quickly with high incomes and even less stress.

-Even after obtaining a Ph.D., thousands of individuals are hoping to land that first treasured tenure track position. The reality is that only about 21% of US college faculty are tenured and over two-thirds (68%) are contingent workers, typically with little job security. The rest usually end up in low-paying adjunct teaching positions without job security or benefits. And many have amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. You may not want to be paying student loans into your 50’s.

-Many now say being a professor is a cutthroat occupation filled with backstabbing colleagues, low pay, ever-growing publish-or-perish pressures, and service requirements. 50-70-hour work weeks are becoming the norm. And summers off? That’s a thing of the past, at least until you are tenured. An important possible exception is community college professors who usually do not have “publish or perish” requirements, gaining tenure is easier and faster, and they commonly have two true months of vacation during the summer.

-You don’t have just one boss. You have dozens to hundreds. Beyond petty tenure committees, incompetent administrators, etc., you actually work for your students, the customer. Most students have come to naturally view themselves as paying customers who expect high grades with minimal effort.  Student evaluations rule the day and grade inflation is everywhere.

-In my humble opinion, the “DEI-Industrial Complex” has made being a college professor extremely difficult, for many reasons I’ll address in a future article. To make a very long story short: Even as a mostly progressive DEI “ally”, one reason I retired early is I found that I couldn’t discuss and teach about 40% of the content I needed to convey to graduate students training to become counselors and not be labeled a racist. If I discussed “White privilege”, some of my European students would feel attacked - and were verbally attacked by students of color. If I were to discuss Mexico’s past and current domination and slavery of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico, my Latinx students would sometimes be outraged or shocked (except in two grad classes I taught that were mostly Latinx, my lone Indigenous student from Mexico would quietly educate them). If I discussed how Indians have transported their Caste system to America, there would be an uproar. Most grad students were often unwilling to discuss ageism and discrimination against those with dis-abilities. Thus, White is bad. Brown is good.

-In a recent Gallup poll, the two most stressful occupations in the US are K-12 teachers and college professors. Yes, you read that right: they were assessed as more stressful jobs than those in law enforcement, first responders, military, etc.

-Sadly, and perhaps most importantly, higher education has become fully monetized as a commodity. The "corporatization" of the “Ivory Tower” will ensure that these trends continue. One example among many: typically, there are now more college administrators than faculty. Universities are now essentially corporations.

In my coaching practice, I’ve noticed a distinct trend over the last decade: more of my clients want help getting out of academia rather than in.

Are there still reasons to pursue this career? Maybe…

Teaching college students has been an honor for me. They’ve taught me so much about many things. Food for thought I often share with my coaching clients considering this career:

-You must clarify to yourself, deeply and honestly, why you want to pursue this path given the high costs. For some individuals, the price is worth it because they simply love learning and teaching. You should not pursue a PhD just because you want to be called a “doctor.” While doing my undergraduate degree, my wife often joked that I enjoyed reading research articles for fun. And I did – and still do.

-Though beyond the scope of this post, many people pursue doctoral degrees for sometimes unconscious reasons, often resulting from childhood issues (yes, I'm a psychologist). This is neither bad nor good but it's critical to clarify beforehand. Ask yourself: “Who am I getting this degree for”? A parent who didn’t finish her college degree? To prove to others that you are, in fact, smart?

-Don’t pursue graduate studies to avoid student loan payments. And don’t pursue graduate studies because you don’t know what else to do.

-As an undergrad, do everything possible to conduct research with a favorite professor with shared interests. Your goal is to publish a paper or two with them and at the very least make several conference presentations. Your GPA should be as high as possible.

-Your goal is to be admitted to a PhD program paid for by the institution. Again, ideally a top PhD program on a fully paid fellowship – with no or minimal student loans.

-Moreover, another primary goal is to gain entrance into the best possible PhD program you can with the best possible adviser, who is going stay around during your 4-7 years of graduate studies. Your advisor will determine not only your quality of life but your potential for future career success.

-For the programs you're applying to, make sure you interview at least two or three current PhD students for the inside “dirt” on who's who and what's what.

-If admitted, view yourself as what I have come to call an “academic intrapreneur.” Though many PhD advisors want to hear that you are only interested in an academic career, you should be pursuing multiple career paths simultaneously. Many savvy PhD students “package” themselves to pursue multiple career paths should they not land a faculty position.

-Many specialties require a “post-doc” experience (especially the STEM fields, clinical psychology, etc.), and you should follow the above advice for investigating the best post-docs for your interests, with the best pay and connections, thus hopefully leading your first full-time position.

-There are many other options to consider as well, and this is where a career coach may come in handy. Students who are employed full-time at a university often receive tuition waivers. Many individuals who simply love the higher education environment can often obtain equally satisfying jobs after completing a master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, etc. Many of these individuals choose to pursue an EdD later as their careers progress and can often teach part-time on top of their full-time positions.