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

[steppinthrax]

So when you are an employee of the state your salary is pretty public. I remember how I had some pretty nasty professors when I was working on my undergrad. I also thought very high of my professors, thinking they made a shitload of cash. I was able to get a dump of salary data for State of Maryland. I’m just surprised how low some of my college professors are making.

Computer Science Professor(s) – 61K -> 80K (These commonly hold PhDs and are in their 40 to mid-50’s)
Asshole chemistry professor that failed many students -> 72K
Professor that wrote 3 published books – 83K

So I’m in my late twenties (making a 6-figure salary). Most of these are the same one's that taught me stuff I'm using in my career today. I’m looking at this in complete surprise…..

 

[DesiPower]

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

 

[Wyndru]

and the work like 100 days a year. No wonder all of they are felt wing entitlement wh0res

And usually have great benefits and retirement plans (although that is changing).

 

[Analog]

So when you are an employee of the state your salary is pretty public. I remember how I had some pretty nasty professors when I was working on my undergrad. I also thought very high of my professors, thinking they made a shitload of cash. I was able to get a dump of salary data for State of Maryland. I’m just surprised how low some of my college professors are making.

Computer Science Professor(s) – 61K -> 80K (These commonly hold PhDs and are in their 40 to mid-50’s)
Asshole chemistry professor that failed many students -> 72K
Professor that wrote 3 published books – 83K

So I’m in my late twenties (making a 6-figure salary). Most of these are the same one's that taught me stuff I'm using in my career today. I’m looking at this in complete surprise…..

So you think we were rich or something? If you can't do - you teach, if you can't teach - you teach gym!

I tell my students the same thing, but I don't think many believe me. I love my job, so the pay's not that important. I like my summer off, and I have a generous time off right now. I can't take vacation any time I want, but with tenure, I've got a pretty secure job. Good and bad I guess....

 

[Jaepheth]

What's the difference between a large pizza and a PhD in mathematics?

The pizza can feed a family of four.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So when you are an employee of the state your salary is pretty public. I remember how I had some pretty nasty professors when I was working on my undergrad. I also thought very high of my professors, thinking they made a shitload of cash. I was able to get a dump of salary data for State of Maryland. I’m just surprised how low some of my college professors are making.

Computer Science Professor(s) – 61K -> 80K (These commonly hold PhDs and are in their 40 to mid-50’s)
Asshole chemistry professor that failed many students -> 72K
Professor that wrote 3 published books – 83K

So I’m in my late twenties (making a 6-figure salary). Most of these are the same one's that taught me stuff I'm using in my career today. I’m looking at this in complete surprise…..

Money isn't everything. A lot of those guys enjoy having a more laid back job than what is possible in the "real world." Plus, you're just seeing their state salaries; many of these guys do consulting on the side or are part of research institutes and make much more money than just their state salary.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

They work like 100 days a year.

And this. No disrespect intended, but being a college professor is cake compared to most real jobs. These guys know it, too, and many of them love the freedom it gives them.

 

[Analog]

What's the difference between a large pizza and a PhD in mathematics?

The pizza can feed a family of four.

Ask the PhD to cut the pizza into equal angles...

 

[surfsatwerk]

Some of the profs I work with spend twelve hours a day in the lab for months at a time. Actually "office" time varies greatly depending on whether or not they're teaching, doing field work, etc...

 

[DesiPower]

Ask the PhD to cut the pizza into equal angles...

A research will be needed, lets apply for a 2 million dollar grant for 5 years.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Some of the profs I work with spend twelve hours a day in the lab for months at a time. Actually "office" time varies greatly depending on whether or not they're teaching, doing field work, etc...

That might be, but if you could play video games for 12 hours a day and make $80K/yr doing it or if you had to work in corporate America for 8 hours a day doing the normal stressful and life sucking office work for $100K per year, which would you choose?

 

[Analog]

And this. No disrespect intended, but being a college professor is cake compared to most real jobs. These guys know it, too, and many of them love the freedom it gives them.

Perhaps, but if its so cake and so great, why do we have such a hard time finding good professors? We've had an opening since 2004 that has been placed three times with two dismissals before tenure and one guy who was great, but took a salary easily 3x at the NSA, and he gets to work from home. We're going to post it again this spring.

 

[Elganja]

my dad's a professor... his job is very relaxed, he has his tenure, he goes to conferences all around the world on the university's dime, he consults on the side year round, and we, my siblings and I, went to school for free more or less...

he couldn't be any happier

 

[Slew Foot]

I made 300k when I was a professor at UC Davis

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Perhaps, but if its so cake and so great, why do we have such a hard time finding good professors? We've had an opening since 2004 that has been placed three times with two dismissals before tenure and one guy who was great, but took a salary easily 3x at the NSA, and he gets to work from home. We're going to post it again this spring.

Let me go back and get my PhD in EE and I'll apply.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I made 300k when I was a professor at UC Davis

You're also a medical doctor.

 

[Analog]

Let me go back and get my PhD in EE and I'll apply.

Great, send me a PM, I'm sure we'll still be looking... :awe:

 

[surfsatwerk]

That might be, but if you could play video games for 12 hours a day and make $80K/yr doing it or if you had to work in corporate America for 8 hours a day doing the normal stressful and life sucking office work for $100K per year, which would you choose?

I made my choice already, I'm staff not faculty. I'm just making the observation that most profs work as hard as they want to. The driven ones invest more time into their work than the lazy one.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

The pay and lifestyle varies a lot by the field and quality of school you end up teaching at. If you are teaching English at Appalachian State University you'll be making 60k. If you teach finance at Harvard you'll be making 200k plus hundreds of thousands in consulting work.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Great, send me a PM, I'm sure we'll still be looking... :awe:

The hard part of being a professor, I think, is getting the PhD and then getting tenure. I did my Master's work in EE and just didn't enjoy it, so I don't think I'd ever consider a PhD in it.

 

[Corporate Thug]

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 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.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

The hard part of being a professor, I think, is getting the PhD and then getting tenure. I did my Master's work in EE and just didn't enjoy it, so I don't think I'd ever consider a PhD in it.

That's definitely the catch. You really need to love the subject to make it through a PhD program.

 

[preslove]

If you think a professor only works 100 days a year and is a cake job, then you are a fucking idiot. Ever heard of publish or perish?

There is no more competitive a field than academia. There are very very few permanent jobs relative to the number PhDs out there, and the way to get a permanent professorship is to work your ass off and get published while teaching 4 or 5 classes. Oh, and if you do manage to get tenure track assistant professorship, then for the next 7 years you have to keep researching and publishing until you create a book-length tenure packet that get's reviewed by your colleagues. Guess what happens if they don't sign off on you? You're fired.

My ex-gf graduated from FSU with a PhD in English literature. That year there are a total of about 60 positions open for her field. This was a larger number than usual. Hundreds of PhDs were minted and there also already established English Profs looking for work. She got a temp professorship in Oklahoma for 2 years and then a tenure track position in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma. If she ever wants to leave and come move to a real city, she has to write a book, literally. She knows Middle English, Old English, French, and Japanese, is extremely motivated, and organized. If she went into the private sector she would be making at the very least double her salary, she would be living in a much nicer place, and she would be less busy.

 

[homercles337]

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

Is this your way of saying, "Hey look at me! Im an asshat, and i have strong opinions that completely made up about shit i have no experience with! DERP!"

 

[slag]

A friend of mine is a professor at KU. He regularly goes to antarctica where they fly "drones" that map the ice. During the off season, he helps develop them at KU.

He makes $146k/yr. Seems pretty awesome to me, except this is the first Christmas he's spent with his family in 3 years as he was in Antarctica the previous two.