My Job

• I’m a… – professor at

George Mason University

– economist– and non-

fiction author.

What Do Professors Do?

• Most people think that professors are basically teachers for college students.

• But I only teach 180 hours per year: 2 classes, three hours a class/week, 30 weeks/year. This is typical.

• Question: So what do professors do all day?

• Answer: Some professors just kick back, but we’re supposed to do RESEARCH.

What Is Research?• Research is an original

contribution to human knowledge.

• A researcher is supposed to discover truths that no one else knows – then publish his findings.

• What you research depends on your field.

• I’m an economics professor, so I do research in economics.

What Is Economics?

• Narrow view: Economics is the field that studies aspects of society connected to money: Jobs, interest rates, stock market…

• Broad view: Economics is the field that studies ALL aspects of society.

• I take an extremely broad view of economics.

My Research: Lots of Articles + 2 Books

How I Got Here

• Professors have one of the least flexible career paths in the world. To become a full-fledged (“tenured”) professor, you almost HAVE to the following, in order…

What’s Good About My Job

• I get to read, think, talk, and write about whatever interests me.

• I work with my best friends and we get lunch almost every day.

• I choose my own hours.• I can wear anything I want.• I can bring my kids to work

whenever I want.• I’m well-paid by GMU, and

have lots of opportunities to make extra money.

• I can’t be laid-off or fired.• I never have to retire.

What’s Bad About My Job

• Despite all this, many professors still complain!

• $$$: Econ professors are well-paid, but professors in most other fields make a lot less money.

• Teaching load: Many professors think 180 hours of teaching a year is a lot. Some professors teach as much as 360 hours a year.

• Loneliness: Many professors are in “closed-door” departments where faculty rarely show up or talk to each other.

• Boredom: Many professors, strangely, aren’t very interested in their own research topics.

• Fear: Assistant professors spend 6 years worrying they’ll get fired because their research isn’t impressive enough.

• Overall, the only people with a reasonable complaint are probably taxpayers.

The Complaints