I have been unsure about my career in higher education since before it began. In fact, I let my ignorant fears and misunderstanding of the typical university professor job description scare me away since finishing my undergrad. Now that I'm on this path I my ignorance is decreasing but the uncertainty is receding much more slowly. I enjoy teaching so much that I have been fearful the other demands of the professorial life will hinder me from this task and turn the work into drudgery. More specifically put, being a university professor is more than being an excellent teacher, particularly at bigger schools where research is most highly valued.
To better understand what I would be facing, I undertook the reading of "Balancing Acts: the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Academic Careers" by Huber. (Micro review: Outlines four professors who found ways to make teaching a priority despite working at research-oriented schools. Good read but definitely thickly written in the ways of academics.) As is common in academic works, this book cited many sources including "Advice for New Faculty Members" by Boice. This title was so highly recommend that I began to hunt for a copy. Amazon had it and for $40 would let me own my own copy. Wichita Public Library had not heard of it; no surprise. I felt I had run out of options until I remembered, Wichita State has a big library, they might just have this title.
They did.
And many, many others, all on this seemingly obscure topic of managing an academic career. Literal shelves stacked with books covering topics from the failings of universities to finishing a dissertation topic to being a mentor. More books on the topic of university life than I could read even if that's all I did for the six years of my PhD.
I shouldn't be surprised, though; academics writing books about the academy. It seems obvious in retrospect. "Publish or perish" and all that.
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