Is being a professor a good career? Starting salary around 55k. Age 27?

Answer 1

If that's what you like to do. You usually get pretty good benefits as well.

Edit;

You don't need a masters if you have a Phd. That answer below is incorrect. You do need good publications and good research background to get the job at a 4 year university. Teaching is more of a 2 year college thing. 4 year colleges, research or non researching universities require great publications and research background. Non research universities will focus more on teaching so you may get some redundancy in the subject you teach, but for 4 years, you usually get a rotation for teaching so you don't get bogged down on the same subject over and over again.
This is not true of Community colleges as there are less diversity of classes so you may very well teach the same thing over and over again depending on your department.

There are more details than the surface answers here of course.

Answer 2

Professors are usually required to have at least a master's degree starting out so you do 6 years instead 4 years before you actually begin as a professor and if you are lucky, you can be a TA (teaching assistant) for a full professor in your field. Then you begin to work on your doctorate if you intend to become a full professor. Most schools allow you up to 4 (sometimes 6) years to complete class work and your dissertation. And you need to like to write because being a professor means you must write for journals and either author or co-author books in your field to earn tenure (a guaranteed job) but the writing is still required to maintain your tenure. The amount of pay is determined by the education you have, the publishing you have done, the size of the college or university at which you work and the whim of the budgetary committee. Your statistics may be above average with 55k and age 27 - might not apply in all situations.

Answer 3

Yes and no. You'll definitely get a secure job, great salary, good benefits, get surrounded by the occasional eager student/colleague.

But the downside is that...well how long can somebody go on teaching the same stuff semester in semester out before they realize how unstimulating it can be. IMO it wouldn't be very exciting to be a professor because of that autonomous aspect. Plus there's the old adage "those that can't do, teach", meaning you'll be facing criticism from people who instead utilized their education to try and establish a career out there in the riskier corporate world.

Answer 4

One of the best perks rarely spoken of is that you get the same vacations as the students. Summers to study, 2 weeks (sometimes more) at Christmas. Very nice.

Answer 5

Yes. You are surrounded by young intelligent people. Very much respected even if not matched in monitory terms. Immensely pleasurable when you can inspire people. Not accurately measurable in $ terms. Long hours of work. frustrating with low budgets/ cuts/ wasteful students.

One word of advise:
Don't get personally involved with your students.