Day 5: My Life If I Were A Professor / Lecturer

At some point in our lives (and for some people, every single day), we wonder how different our lives may be if we chose an alternative career path – we also wonder how different it could be if we made that change right now.

For the academics, the train of thought is usually how much more perceived fun they may be having with a career in the arts or the media industry. For the latter group, an office job always appears to offer the benefits, the remuneration, the stability and the respect that creative freelance work does not.

So for day 5’s blogging challenge, the idea is to find a job ad in the paper and to think about how different my life may be if I had that particular job. For the purposes of context, I should probably tell you what I do presently – I am the Online Content Producer for Hectic Nine-9, SA’s biggest TV show for the youth.

What this means is that I create the content for and maintain a consistent presence of the brand across its many online platforms. It’s a creative, technical, colourful, noisy, fun and chaotic space to be in. For these reasons, this is the very contrasting job ad I decided to write about: 

This choice was rather random, but if I were an Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer, life would be different indeed:

I wouldn’t be able to show up at the office with a slightly creased t-shirt or my slightly soiled All Stars. I’d need to take more pride in my appearance and dress with the polish befitting of someone in a senior, respected position such as this.

I would be able to take more holidays. Owing to a far higher salary earned from years and years of study, I’d be able to afford more regular overseas trips, experiencing many different cultures and ways of life. These experiences are likely to introduce me to fresh, new ways of thinking. They may alter many of the perceptions I have about the world right now, and they’d probably make me a more interesting person to share a glass of wine with at a social event.

I would have to face and overcome my fear of public speaking. In fact, I’d certainly hope the fear wouldn’t be there to begin with, considering the knowledge I’d have to impart to my students, and the knowledge I’d need to share with colleagues.

I would be able to tell people what I do without feeling as if THEY feel I’m:

A.     Just ‘messing around’ until I get a ‘serious’ job

B.     Enjoying hours and hours of laughter and fun in studio while the rest of the world slaves away

I wouldn't be surrounded by people all the time because I'd be able to spend time alone, in my own office, away from the bustle and noise of an open-plan setup. It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to work, at least some of the time, from my own office – one with a door that needs to be knocked on before I can be interrupted. And yes, that door will probably be closed most of the time.

I would be able to upgrade my car before the motor plan ran out (instead of having the same wheels for eight years), get insurance for all the things I need, watch Wimbledon in HD and rent a place in which I couldn't see my fridge from my bed (this does make midnight snacking easier though).

BUT, I would probably also lose my absolute appreciation for the many little things I can afford to do - spoil myself with an expensive dinner once per month, excitedly unpack that new appliance or save up for a new leather jacket that will be treasured. Less money = more to aim for and an increased sense of gratitude.

So, life would indeed be different if I were an Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer. But all of this is highly speculative.

Often, we have no idea of the professional challenges that even our closest co-workers face mere metres from us - we never will have a decent idea until we experience life from behind their laptop screen.

The lesson to be learnt – and remembered – is that very few jobs can be classified as easy. It’s up to each of us to choose one with a list of pros and cons that match up well to our individual desires and because of that (and my weather-beaten pair of All Stars) I don’t think I’m going to be applying for a post at Rhodes University anytime soon J