College professors don't make that much....

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Yes, I have heard of it as I've published papers before. When I was in grad school, we did all the work on papers (research and writing them) and when we were done, our professor's name went on them too and lists them in his publications.

Sounds like a crappy professor then. My supervisor has (and continues to do) a ton of work independent of his students.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Sounds like a crappy professor then. My supervisor has (and continues to do) a ton of work independent of his students.

He provided guidance and reviewed the work. As a teacher, he was actually really good, but I personally think he sucked as an advisor.

 

[preslove]

A good PHD in Math is probably working in Wallstreet :biggrin:

A couple of them are working in Renaissance Technologies making a living moving bits around. Lots of money to be made moving bits around in wallstreet. I would say drug money levels. Never underestimate the power of math when it comes to making good money.

And that's a problem. We as a society should be prioritizing mathematics and science over financial instruments that only make a few bankers money, but don't actually contribute anything to the economy. I'd support a tax on financial trades that was tied to STEM funding for universities to pay for science and medicine grants that provided salary funding.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Fools! The trick is to teacher at a community college. Your publish or perish requirements go out the window.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

And? I was just using her as an example of how competitive academia is, especially for the liberal arts. Making a living as an English literature professor is extremely difficult, much more so than going into the private sector. If she had an interest in business, she'd be making six figures right now and be living in a decent city (and I might have married her...).

The point is that her major is the problem not academia. The equivalent non-academia salary for an English major is minimum wage at Starbucks. The situation isn't nearly as bleak for people who went to better schools an in other fields.

 

[Doppel]

They seriously hardly fvcking work and have sh*t gobs of benefits. I know one first hand and he knows he has a very sweet deal. Could have gone into law and made well into 6 figures but instead making high 5s but with absolutely horrendous amounts of flexibility and can do what he wants when he wants.

 

[DougK62]

Only on ATOT is making $60-80k per year a low salary. LOL

 

[sourceninja]

Try being adjunct faculty, the guys who teach the boring classes.

I made 1700.00 for 11 weeks of work.

 

[Mike Gayner]

Only on ATOT is making $60-80k per year a low salary. LOL

Considering their level of education...

 

[Gigantopithecus]

This thread is full of asinine assumptions and incredible ignorance.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Only on ATOT is making $60-80k per year a low salary. LOL

Also, banging less than 3 super models at once = fail.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

This thread is full of asinine assumptions and incredible ignorance.

Is this your first time on an internet forum?

 

[mmntech]

They work like 100 days a year.

Think about school teachers. Also in your line of work at your age if you make 100k+ you are in the cream of the crop. Cream of the prof crop make 200k+. These are the poeple who research shrimp on treadmill, who emphatic mouses are and stuff like that, they bring in grants and make big bucks. And they can come and go whenever they want, make their own deadlines and work from home for a year...

So basically your research is mistaken, you are not comparing apples to apples

AND they maybe work 4-6hrs a day tops, usually on the lower end. The TAs do most of the leg work. That's especially true for tenured profs. My aunt works at Queens University, and used to work at York University, so she gives me the inside scoop. The tenured profs are like poodles. Love being pampered.

Not that they don't do work outside class, but it's still a sweet arse gig. My cousin is studying to be a prof. I envy him. Ontario teachers no matter what level they teach are very well paid.

 

[weadjust]

My dad is a professor at a state university. Phd teaching mechanical engineering. He has been on the job for 42 years (started in 1969 - current). He still teaches one Lab class at the age of 75. He has made a comfortable living.

He is also one of the leading expert witnesses in the south in all things to do with mechanical failures usually involving death or serious bodily injury. He is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and has an excellent resume and credentials to back up his testimony. Has made good money doing this in addition to his teaching salary. The University allowed one day a week for consulting when he was teaching full time.

 

[Murloc]

>Ph.D. in Math
>any job I want
>$300k starting

 

[SP33Demon]

Fools! The trick is to teacher at a community college. Your publish or perish requirements go out the window.

He's onto something here. Work normal job, teach night school with pHD = WINNING

 

[Mike Gayner]

>Ph.D. in Math
>any job I want
>$300k starting

LOL OK if you say so.

 

[isekii]

You gotta think about the benefits~
all the hot youngin's looking to get easy grades.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Is this your first time on an internet forum?

LOL. This thread is especially terrible.

 

[Mike Gayner]

LOL. This thread is especially terrible.

You got something meaningful to add yourself?

 

[zinfamous]

They work like 100 days a year.

No.

 

[zinfamous]

And don't forgot, out of those 100 days, the work day is about 5 hours long...a few hours of lecture, and a few hours of sitting in your office doing whatever the hell you feel like as maybe ONE student comes to office hours.

lol. You guys really don't know dick about research, do you?

 

[zinfamous]

Lot of "everything I know about academia I learned on Fox News" types in this thread.

That's basically what I'm seeing here. haha.

 

[zinfamous]

The point is that her major is the problem not academia. The equivalent non-academia salary for an English major is minimum wage at Starbucks. The situation isn't nearly as bleak for people who went to better schools an in other fields.

lol. more idiotic assumptions from the black hole that is the mouth of Faux news.

 

[crashtestdummy]

As a few others have said here, there's an incredible amount of ignorance here regarding academic careers. First of all, not all academic careers. I'll give you an idea of what a couple tracks look like in the physical sciences.

1. Prestigious Research University
Salary: 90-120k (can go as high as 500k if you're super duper special)

Congratualtions! you've spent 6-8 years of PhD and postdoc working 60 hour weeks at 1/4 market value to get here! Now, you're get to spend the next five years working 70 hour weeks building up a lab from scratch, attracting quality graduate students and convincing them that completely wasting the first 2 years of their PhD helping you is better than working in a more established lab. Meanwhile, you've got to find a way to start cranking out papers and find a half million dollars in funding for your work. You'll also have to teach a couple classes, though honestly no one cares if you're any good at that, and you won't be. After you get tenure, you can breathe (maybe have a kid) because they can't fire you, but now you've run out of ideas (and funding), and will have to work equally hard managing a group of 10+, trying to make sure you still put out enough papers to keep your name relevant.The divorce rate among these folks also seems quite high.​

I'm in a PhD program, and almost everyone I know in it says this route is too much work, and they'd rather go to industry. Those that I know in industry generally tell me life is more relaxed than their PhD was.

2. Liberal Arts/Small College
Salary: 60-100K

Here, you're expected to teach, but actually teach well. You'll often teach 4 classes a semester, which is a lot more than you think. Now, four 1 hour classes three times a week=12 hours a week in the class room. That may not sound like much, but think about how much effort you put into an hour presentation at work. Multiply that by 12, and you have an idea. It will get easier with time, but you're expected to improve your lectures and develop active learning, which take a lot of time as well.

You're also expected to do research, except now you have undergrads (who have a lot less skill, knowledge, and time to contribute) and the facilities are nearly non-existent. You're only expected to put out a couple papers a year.
​

This route is considered about the same level of work as industry, but at half the paycheck, you only do it if you really like teaching.

All young faculty members I've spoken to have described themselves as working 60-70 hour weeks. Some of the older ones, once they've sort of "figured things out" have gotten it down to 40-50, but indicated it took them about 10 years to get to that point.