Teach and Learn from Others
Good teachers learn from their students. Whether you are teaching a class or workshop or mentoring one person, you can gain a lot of expertise by listening to and observing your students. That same sentiment applies to directors, bosses, and business owners and their employees. By talking to clients and listening to their ideas, you can learn to look at your job in a different light. Being open to new ideas is a great way to keep your job from becoming stale.
Teaching can have such a positive impact on your work. Working as a part-time professor or instructor enables you to reconnect to your profession in a fresh manner. By teaching students, you get to keep on top of the latest cutting-edge technology in your field. Your students can challenge you with questions that will make you think differently about your job.
The American Association of University Professors has found that the number of adjunct professors has more than doubled in the past twenty years. They cite economics as the main reason. Student enrollment at many universities and community colleges may be up, but these institutions are facing budget problems. Hiring people who work in the field to teach as adjunct professors is an affordable way to educate their students.
Adjunct professors tend to earn considerably less than full-time professors — usually $1,500 to $4,500 per course. Often there are no benefits. However, compensation isn't the impetus for people to teach on a part-time basis. According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, almost 41 percent of scientists with PhDs are teaching as adjuncts. These adjuncts already have full-time jobs. They are teaching because they enjoy it, and because they are constantly benefiting from new ideas gathered in the classroom. The situation is often positive for students, too, because many top-level students can learn about job leads from their part-time professors.
In most cases, a course runs for fourteen weeks, meeting once each week for two to three hours. That doesn't include prep time or the time required to read and grade papers and exams.
The research involved with preparing a class also takes time. However, most people who work as adjunct professors find that teaching makes them better scientists, veterinarians, behaviorists, and so on. Partly that is because you have to read everything — even materials that are slightly out of your niche.
It's great having an audience. Some teachers view teaching as being on a stage before an audience. Being an effective teacher gives you the tools to make a difference in your business and community. It keeps you in touch with all of the aspects of your job, and also boosts your ego.
To become an adjunct professor, you need a bachelor's degree, an updated resume, and reference letters. If you've written any books or articles or edited any newsletters specific to your profession, mention them when you contact the school. Apply to community colleges, trade schools, four-year colleges, and universities in your area.
