University Professor

I'm going to approach this review both as a comparison of university education with compulsory education as well as university education as an overall occupation in society. At one point I was considering university level versus high school level teaching. After an extensive amount of conversation with both various university and middle/high school educators, I decided to pursue the university profession for various reasons. As a university professor, you are charged with following a certain curriculum but have freedom in how you apply its instruction and in many cases also have more of a say in the administrative portion of its creation. You can also impart your opinion on the matter more, which of course can be a good or a bad thing depending on what you are trying to impart. At the compulsory education level, you are more restricted to the curriculum and really have to watch what you say for fear of reprisal. Unless your field of study revolves around general education courses... Read more

Not surprising to see this at the top of the list: overall, it's the best job in the world:1. Once tenured, you can't get fired for anything short of a major felony2. The benefits are better than nearly any non-government job3. You can work as much (or as little) as you want4. It's a highly enjoyable profession, provided you're interested in your field of study5. It's generally well paid, if less than a few other professionsProfs tend towards depression, OCD, borderline autism and general whining, but they are happier in their jobs than 99% of humanity.

Once tenured, this tends to be dominated by over-educated canine fornicators. There are some very fine minds here, but there are too many office occupying nitwits as well.

I can't decide; should I be a university professor or a librarian?  I would love to be both :)

They'd be in deep sh*t if I was the Perfessor.

This isn't a profession for everyone but if you are driven and passionate about learning (and it doesn't hurt to be smart) how can you beat being paid to read and think about a subject that interests you?

A fun fact to know is that most college professors in this day and age did not actually graduate from college.

A wonderful job if you can get it. . .most are good, some are bad. . .but that's any profession. I laugh at those who complain- "they're stuck up-they think they're smarter than everyone else!" Kids, they are smarter than almost everyone else. . .learning how to deal with an arrogant professor was a great learning lesson for me in dealing with real-world corporate sharks. . .

professors get a 5 because they are overpaid, couldn't care less about their students, and are on a superiority trip. i see merit in those who make contributions as far as scientific research and what not but overall, professors suck. 80k to communication and philosophy professors--cya in hell

Slow down for a moment. Some professors (alot, in fact) most certainly do fit the desrciption I just read, but there are some good ones once you get away from the stuffy, tenure obsessed university types. I think a few of my professors are fantastic at what they do, but indeed, some are just idiots with paper that says they know something. Its all about whether you care about people learning or want to fail as many people as you can so they wont take your job.

I should be finishing up my masters this year and hopefully starting on my PhD next year if everything falls into place properly. After that I hope to become a political science professor- it would be my dream job. Considering I'm preoccupied with politics most of my waking hours I might as well make a career out of it.

Like everything,the ones who really do their job well are under-appreciated and those who are just there to impose their prejudices on the students and collect a paycheck should get fired.Many Professors make much less money than people think.

highly paid blowhards

Some of the professors I've had have it so easy. Some get paid 80 to 100K as year for doing absolutely nothing!!!! It blows my mind!

Tenure. Stress. Seems to me like one long very important school project in order gain tenure.

Professor... the name itself cries out 'prestige'! As a student, I'm sure we all had teachers that we admired (I'm not saying all of them...), and what a joy it would be to be admired, respected, and paid for it! What would be better than being a scholar? You get to research independently and be acquainted with brilliant youthful minds, along with other noble colleagues. It really depends on the university of course, but generally speaking, university professor is a dream job for anyone with a desire for an experience of a lifetime.

I can think of few professions that appear more rewarding and enjoyable than a university professor. Of course we now seem to have two types of professors, namely teachers and researchers/publishers. This is unfortunate as academic politics have forced many who are better suited for just one function to do both functions (and sometimes poorly). Nevertheless, such daily interaction with young, mature and eager minds must be fulfilling on a personal and professional level. Moreover, a university professor is usually respected in society.

The three best things are June, July and August. There's more, though: the joy of watching a mind open up to new ideas; the exquisite pleasure of watching brilliant minds grow and blossom like tropical plants. On the other hand, babysitting the immature, dealing with cheaters, and facing the horrible sight of minds encased in concrete already at the tender age of 18. I don't do it any more, but I had some good times teaching.

A very rewarding career where you can significanlty impact peoples lives in a positive way. And at this level of education, students generally have an interest in the subject matter.

Most educators get a "5" in my eyes. I've met several that I haven't agreed with much at all, and even had very strong disagreements with, but I've always had respect for them and they for their students. Many are very laid-back, probably feeling more at ease teaching those who are more mature. Most are very approachable. Their jobs are very important in a world that almost requires higher education for almost all lines of work.

I know some very good college teachers, but the idea of being one doesn't turn me on in any way. I'd rather do than teach. Computers should do the teaching nowadays. Many teachers are screwed up in the head.

The best of this breed preserve and (sometimes) extend the body of knowledge in their field of expertise.

I'm gonna give it 3 stars because it shouldn't be at the very top of this list.