Leadership in Action: Dividends and Interest - Take This Job and Love It

Academia Romanticized

There is one job that people mention most. Given the opportunity, many people would choose to teach. Some would work in the public schools; others would tutor children with special needs. Many people fantasize about teaching at a college or university. When I probe a little bit and ask them what specifically they would enjoy about college teaching, they say something like: “I think I would enjoy the academic life. You know, the relaxed pace, the beauty of a campus environment, the exchange of free thinking with one's colleagues, and making a difference in the lives of young people.”

Given the opportunity, many people would choose to teach.

This year, I am up to my mortarboard in the academic life. For the 2000–2001 academic ...