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Job Title: Professor Of Law
Type of Company: I work for a state university, teaching in its school of law.
Education: BA, Duke University, •• Ph.D., Harvard University, •• J.D., Stanford Law School
Previous Experience: After graduate school and beginning my teaching career in a department of political science, I decided to go to law school, thinking (wrongly) that I was leaving the academy forever. After clerking for a federal judge, I did practice law for a year, but then a wonderful offer came along at Princeton, and I went back into teaching (in a department of politics). When it was clear that I wasn't going to receive tenure, I happily accepted a job offer from a law school, where I have remained ever since.
Job Tasks: My primary responsibility is to teach classes, which I do primarily to law students, though this semester I'm also teaching first-year undergraduates for the first time in many years. I also do a lot of writing, primarily of articles on law, though I also spend more time than I should contributing to a blog that focuses on law-related issues. My responsibilities include some student advising and, more generally, responding to student questions.
A typical day involves teaching one or two classes and then turning to one or another writing project that I have, plus preparing for the next day's classes. There is always reading to be done, of course, given the constant publication of new materials that are relevant to my work. I also spend a fair amount of time reading newspapers in order to be aware of current examples that are relevant to my teaching. I find that if I integrate them into my classes, students seem to be more attentive and also understand the materials better.
The final responsibility, of course, is grading materials, usually exams but sometimes student papers and the like. Grading tends to be "concentrated": That is, I have to grade literally a hundred students in a fairly short period of time rather than, say, ten students each week over a ten-week period.
Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best part of the job is the opportunity to read, think, and then discuss my ideas with students and colleagues. Some of the discussion takes place in conferences around the country (and, occasionally, the world), which is an independent pleasure, since I'm fairly often meeting new people and listening to new ideas.
The worst part of the job, by far, is the grading, which is tedious and anxiety-producing inasmuch as one, by definition, has to judge the quality of the work and, inevitably, disappoint a lot of students who expect to do "better."
Job Tips: I would describe my career primarily as a "teacher" and "writer." The best advice I'd give is to take courses that interest you. Especially in the modern world, you never really know what you'll end up doing, and all sorts of things can suddenly become very interesting. A lot of specific knowledge will become fairly quickly outdated, but one can draw on one's experience, say, of reading great literature or learning about different cultures forever.
Additional Thoughts: The most pleasant surprise is that I have the opportunity to study lots of different subjects and to follow up new interests. I feel extremely lucky!
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