College Professor Career Guide

If you are an avid learner, have an interest in a particular topic, and get excited about the idea of teaching others, then a career as a college professor may be the perfect path for you. How exactly do you become a professor?

The first step in the process of becoming a professor is to obtain a bachelor?s degree in the area you would like to call your specialty. From there, you must then obtain a master?s degree to further your knowledge. At this point, you may be able to get a teaching position at a community college. However, the vast majority of four-year colleges and universities will only consider professors who have received their doctoral degree or are in the process of obtaining one.

Once you have received the necessary education to teach, the work still continues. Professors are also expected to conduct original research and publish their findings with the academic community throughout their careers.

One of the great things about being a professor is that you have the opportunity to work all across the country. As long as you have the necessary qualifications and there is an opening, you can teach anywhere from California to Maine to Florida. You could even move to another country to teach.

To help you learn more about this career path, we interviewed actual university professors to get the inside scoop on what they do, what they like and dislike about their jobs, and how they got to this point. Check out their career profiles below.