1. My Job I’m a… –professor at George Mason University –economist –and non- fiction author.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. My Research: Lots of Articles + 2 Books

6. 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…

8. 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.

9. What’s Bad About My Job Despite all this, many professors still complain!

10. $$$: 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