My core activities are to prepare and present lecture material, design in-class and online discussions, create diverse methods of evaluating student learning, then I grade all the work. I also publish academic papers, participate in Departmental and University committee work, and advise students.

EDUCATION | PhD in Philosophy, UC Santa Barbara

HOW TO GET STARTED | You need to love the subject and the academic life generally. You have to be ready to get at least an MA, and really a PhD. Unfortunately, the reputation and ranking of where you get your degree really matters. You need to at least know who's who in the world of philosophy. A great resource is the Philosophical Gourmet Report (http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com). You should have a sense whether you are more into writing and research, or into teaching in the classroom. If teaching is what you really see yourself loving, be sure to consider community colleges as well as universities. The pay is about the same, sometimes higher, and you don't have to publish. Also, you should be realistic. Philosophy is actually a very competitive field with very smart competitors vying for a limited number of positions. The top jobs are incredibly desirable and only a few people can get them. It's wise to consider whether you would be fulfilled by a job at a mid-level university which is more about teaching than writing books.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Cerebral and analytical. Love for words and language. Self-disciplined and self-motivated. Being a people person. Intellectual curiosity.

how I got started | After three philosophy courses in my freshman year, I was sold. I knew philosophy was a perfect fit for me, I was up early and late reading and thinking about philosophy. I felt like I met my soul mate. The challenge was how to make a career out of philosophy, and how to answer the inevitable "You're majoring in WHAT?" questions. The hard choice, one which I still grapple with from time to time, was whether to go to law school or get a PhD and stay in academics. I chose academia, applied to many PhD programs, and completely devoted myself to developing the skills required for success, reading and writing complex analyses, mastering every 'ism' and 'ology' known to man.

why this job?| My career really allows me to be me. I've always been highly analytical, curious and introspective, and I get to be exactly that at work. I really thought about the overall life that various careers would give me, what kind of person I would end up being after thirty plus years in the profession. I like that I don't have to wear a suit, I have long vacations, sometimes I'm only on campus twice per week. I like that I don't have to make big profits in order to succeed. I feel that I develop more and more as a person the longer I'm in this career.

why I love this job!| I love being 'on stage', so to speak, there is a performance aspect to being a professor. I love seeing students grow from what they're learning. I love that we're in class to explore, develop and improve our minds, not to make widgets or huge profits.

my typical day| I spend mornings outlining my lecture and planning an engaging in-class discussion activity. This often includes getting relevant multi-media together to play in class, or to add to my website. I devote a good amount of time as a 'lay web developer,' adding study questions, lecture audios, YouTube video and philosophical links to my website. I take the subway to work, and respond to student email on the way. Then, it's time to teach! This is when I really have to perform and get students involved. This can be intense, but the number of hours actually in class per day is usually not more than three. Depending on the week, I may spend a number of hours grading. It gets very busy around mid term and finals time. I often have a paper of my own to work on after teaching, and thus spend some time getting my next paper ready for publication.

what they are | Tenured positions are increasingly rare. I teach part time at 2-3 schools in any given semester. It's a lot of work, but you can still have a good salary and stability from year to year if you are an Adjunct rather than tenure-track faculty. Tenure-track jobs have their own challenges, because you have to pass a tenure review after five or so years. This is a comprehensive review of your publication and teaching record, and other service to the institution. You also will have to cope with a lot of student stress, in addition to your own. Students get stressed out at exam time; sometimes they have unreasonable fears of failing, or are facing new pressures living on their own for the first time.

all about growth | I think the jury is still out on this one, or the jury keeps changing its mind. College enrollments are at all time highs, and we keep hearing about a huge wave of retirements from the baby boomers. But, state budgets are shrinking, and many colleges are implementing big cuts and hiring freezes. Nonetheless, there are lots of colleges and universities out there that need professors.

my website| http://philwiki.wetpaint.com