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Jackson
Student
Frankfort, Kentucky
1
Question
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What is the best and worst part of being a professor?
I am a senior in high school who is interested in studying philosophy, hopefully to become a professor of philosophy. I've always had a passion for teaching, and I believe the best way to manifest that would be teaching at the collegiate level.
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5 answers
Johnson Tran
Tutor
101
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Johnson’s Answer
Becoming a philosophy professor can sound great, but it's a mix of highs and lows. Since you're still in high school and considering this path, it's good to know the reality now.
The Good Parts
You have a lot of intellectual freedom. You get paid to think and research topics you care about. If you love diving deep into philosophy, this is ideal. Teaching is also rewarding if you enjoy helping others learn. You can guide students and have a flexible schedule when not in class. Plus, you get to be around people who share your passion for philosophy.
The Challenges
The job market is tough. There are more PhDs than available professor positions, and the hiring process is slow. Earning a PhD takes 5 to 7 years after college, and the workload is heavy. It's not just about teaching; there's a lot of grading, meetings, and administrative tasks.
There's pressure to publish regularly to advance in your career. Many start with low-paying, temporary jobs before finding something stable. It's a tough journey, but for the right person, it's worth it.
The Good Parts
You have a lot of intellectual freedom. You get paid to think and research topics you care about. If you love diving deep into philosophy, this is ideal. Teaching is also rewarding if you enjoy helping others learn. You can guide students and have a flexible schedule when not in class. Plus, you get to be around people who share your passion for philosophy.
The Challenges
The job market is tough. There are more PhDs than available professor positions, and the hiring process is slow. Earning a PhD takes 5 to 7 years after college, and the workload is heavy. It's not just about teaching; there's a lot of grading, meetings, and administrative tasks.
There's pressure to publish regularly to advance in your career. Many start with low-paying, temporary jobs before finding something stable. It's a tough journey, but for the right person, it's worth it.
Dr Fisch
Flight Attendant
87
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Johnson's answer is spot on. Let me elaborate more. I taught undergraduate students for a few years while I was a Ph.D. student myself. You would need to get a Ph.D. in philosophy because, as Johnson mentioned, there are not many philosophy professor positions available. Why give the position to a Master's degree holder when a full doctor of philosophy would gladly fill the position. So, to be competitive, you'll need the Ph.D. Interestingly, Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Philosophy. The D=Doctor and the Ph=Philosophy, but it is used in mostly all other disciplines, like Ph.D. in Economics, or Ph.D. in Education (which I have), and so on.
It sounds like you had a great Philosophy teacher in high school who inspired you. If so, that's wonderful. I also love the topic and the idea of teaching it. It's a great joy to deep thinkers to come across big ideas expressed by other deep thinkers in history, and to share in their thoughts. Teaching philosophy, or teaching anything, however, is not an easy task. It does take a lot of work, inside the classroom and outside. Teaching is one of those jobs you don't leave back at the office, but rather you take it with you wherever you go, always thinking about your curriculum and your students and have to improve both.
In an attempt to answer your question directly, the best part of being a professor is getting paid for engaging in, and being asked your thoughts on, topics that you're most interested in. Having a master understanding on the topic and helping new thinkers reach some of the same realizations could be very rewarding. If you're at a wonderful university or college, it's nice to have your own space (your office) there.
The worst part is that professors, especially in the beginning, have a lot to prove. The need to compete with other professors at the same university and also with other philosophy professors at other universities, so prove their worth. There are mandatory meetings, apprenticeships and mentoring, grading of essay-style papers, preparing for lessons, etc.
If nothing else is pulling you in another direction, go for it! Learning philosophy is like doing exercises for your brain, so even if you end up doing something else later on, all those mental workout sessions will still benefit you in any topic. In other words, to study philosophy properly, it takes a disciplined mind, and disciplined mind in general is valuable and applicable to any area of study.
It sounds like you had a great Philosophy teacher in high school who inspired you. If so, that's wonderful. I also love the topic and the idea of teaching it. It's a great joy to deep thinkers to come across big ideas expressed by other deep thinkers in history, and to share in their thoughts. Teaching philosophy, or teaching anything, however, is not an easy task. It does take a lot of work, inside the classroom and outside. Teaching is one of those jobs you don't leave back at the office, but rather you take it with you wherever you go, always thinking about your curriculum and your students and have to improve both.
In an attempt to answer your question directly, the best part of being a professor is getting paid for engaging in, and being asked your thoughts on, topics that you're most interested in. Having a master understanding on the topic and helping new thinkers reach some of the same realizations could be very rewarding. If you're at a wonderful university or college, it's nice to have your own space (your office) there.
The worst part is that professors, especially in the beginning, have a lot to prove. The need to compete with other professors at the same university and also with other philosophy professors at other universities, so prove their worth. There are mandatory meetings, apprenticeships and mentoring, grading of essay-style papers, preparing for lessons, etc.
If nothing else is pulling you in another direction, go for it! Learning philosophy is like doing exercises for your brain, so even if you end up doing something else later on, all those mental workout sessions will still benefit you in any topic. In other words, to study philosophy properly, it takes a disciplined mind, and disciplined mind in general is valuable and applicable to any area of study.
Wendy Lowe
Director of Student Engagement
8
Answers
Abingdon, Virginia
Updated
Wendy’s Answer
Being a professor can be so exhilarating. You get to share your area of expertise with others. You get to find interesting ways to deliver the topics thru discussions, projects, simulations, papers. It gives you full autonomy to teach and learn about your students. I don't really see a drawback if this is a profession you love and are passionate about. You can control the assignments, due dates, volume so handling the grading can be achieved. I would imagine it's just challenging yourself to keep the lessons fresh and engaging overtime. Students respond so positively when they know their teacher is invested and how they "show up" each day.
Wong Loke Yuen
Dean; Head of Programme and Senior Lecturer
837
Answers
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Updated
Wong’s Answer
One of the best parts of being a professor is having the opportunity to teach something you genuinely care about. If you love philosophy, you could spend your career discussing ideas, reading important works, asking difficult questions, and helping students develop their own way of thinking. Seeing a student understand an idea for the first time or become more confident in expressing their thoughts can be very rewarding.
Another benefit is the intellectual freedom that can come with academic work. Philosophy professors often have opportunities to conduct research, write papers and books, attend conferences, and discuss their ideas with other scholars. If you enjoy learning, being a professor can allow you to continue learning throughout your career rather than treating education as something that ends when you graduate.
The difficult part is that becoming a professor, especially in philosophy, can be a long and competitive process. You will normally need to complete graduate school and a PhD, and permanent academic positions can be limited. You may also have responsibilities beyond teaching, including research, publishing, grading, meetings, administration, and applying for academic positions or funding. In other words, being a professor is much more than standing in front of a classroom and teaching.
Another benefit is the intellectual freedom that can come with academic work. Philosophy professors often have opportunities to conduct research, write papers and books, attend conferences, and discuss their ideas with other scholars. If you enjoy learning, being a professor can allow you to continue learning throughout your career rather than treating education as something that ends when you graduate.
The difficult part is that becoming a professor, especially in philosophy, can be a long and competitive process. You will normally need to complete graduate school and a PhD, and permanent academic positions can be limited. You may also have responsibilities beyond teaching, including research, publishing, grading, meetings, administration, and applying for academic positions or funding. In other words, being a professor is much more than standing in front of a classroom and teaching.
Srinivas Rao Routhu
Business Consultant
43
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Srinivas Rao’s Answer
Hello Jackson,
The best part of being a philosophy professor is doing meaningful intellectual work every day: reading, debating big questions, shaping students’ thinking, and having real autonomy over your research and ideas.
The worst part is that the path to becoming a professor is extremely competitive and often precarious: many philosophy PhDs face low pay, limited tenure-track jobs, and heavy publish‑or‑perish pressure alongside teaching and grading.
For someone like you who already loves teaching and thinking, the work itself can be deeply satisfying, but it’s wise to enter the field with realistic expectations and a backup or complementary career in mind.
If you tell me your country and whether you want to focus on academia or also keep options in law, policy, writing, or public philosophy, I can suggest a 4‑year undergrad plan that keeps your dream of teaching alive while protecting your future.
The best part of being a philosophy professor is doing meaningful intellectual work every day: reading, debating big questions, shaping students’ thinking, and having real autonomy over your research and ideas.
The worst part is that the path to becoming a professor is extremely competitive and often precarious: many philosophy PhDs face low pay, limited tenure-track jobs, and heavy publish‑or‑perish pressure alongside teaching and grading.
For someone like you who already loves teaching and thinking, the work itself can be deeply satisfying, but it’s wise to enter the field with realistic expectations and a backup or complementary career in mind.
If you tell me your country and whether you want to focus on academia or also keep options in law, policy, writing, or public philosophy, I can suggest a 4‑year undergrad plan that keeps your dream of teaching alive while protecting your future.