Building a Career in Higher Education
When it comes to understanding what building a career in academics is like, it is necessary to investigate what the life of an advanced researcher is all about. It is essential for those who want to build a successful academic career, as it is essential to distinguish what a successful researcher has to go through daily. The lives of successful academics and researchers are similar in various ways. They have all followed specific rules and focused on particular aspects of their careers to achieve their goals.
This paper focuses on some key insights about working in higher education. In particular, it examines the role of such principles and practices as collaboration and continuous learning.
Collaboration as the Basis
One of the most significant skills that a researcher should have is collaboration. It can occur between fellow professionals and institutions; both play an equally important role for the individuals working in the field and those who benefit from the conducted research. There is a myth that academics work alone most of the time and only communicate on rare occasions, which is far from the truth.
In reality, collaboration must be an integral part of an academic’s life to make significant progress in research. For example, Kiewra et al (2022) mention that the most successful researchers whose works received awards from the American Psychological Association and American Educational Research Association collaborated with other professionals 96% of the time. Collaboration in the academic environment fosters higher productivity and efficiency and helps professionals elevate their expertise. This is why so many successful publications have been created by multiple authors. Researchers who choose to collaborate understand that their work will be more efficient and bring more results if their expertise is combined with that of their colleagues.
Another area in which collaboration is equally important is collaboration between institutions. A common misconception is that institutions mainly compete with each other, both for funding and for students who are choosing where to study. The truth is, however, that collaboration between institutions improves their financial state and value proposition (Lundy, 2020). This kind of collaboration fosters an environment of learning and investigation.
Continuous Learning
The second key insight about working in research is that those who opt for a career in this field embark on lifelong learning. In today’s fast-paced world, it is essential to maintain professional growth and stay updated on the newest developments in the selected area. A researcher cannot create valuable works if they do not consider the most recent information.
Thus, learning is a crucial part of each academic’s professional and personal life. Moreover, learning becomes a part of an academic’s lifestyle, and researchers learn what they are required to learn as part of their profession and as a hobby. For some, it is a way to recover from devastating life events and have some sense of stability.
Lang (2022), for example, mentions how coming back to the learning process helped him recover from a serious health condition. He also believes that learning can have healing and restorative power for many other academics and students, including reducing stress from uncertainty (Lang, 2022). Therefore, continuous learning can become a prerequisite for mental well-being and accomplishment.
Time Management and Efficiency
Another critical aspect of an academic’s life is managing time efficiently and effectively. Working in higher education and research typically involves considering multiple tasks and deadlines. Researchers must be highly organized and consider each possible deadline to stay productive.
A typical day in the life of a researcher is generally highly loaded. At the same time, little free time is left as most hours are filled with work. One of the University of Southern California professors, for example, says that she “was often consumed by work, sometimes starting at 4 a.m. and routinely working 10 to 12 hours a day” (Kiewra et al, 2022). Thus, to survive in this environment, it is essential to master practical time management skills.
Some ways that academics can effectively manage their time are the following. Firstly, many try to distribute daily activities so that the most critical tasks are completed in the morning. In contrast, more mundane activities are moved towards the second half of the day (Kiewra et al, 2022). This way they productively start the day and know later that they have done the most important things.
Another thing scholars introduce into their daily routine to manage their work effectively is avoiding some particular activities that can be detrimental to their career in one way or another. Some researchers, for example, reject specific work opportunities, such as editor positions, to focus on their goal of submitting grant proposals (Kiewra et al, 2022). This demonstrates that it is essential for an academic to have a purpose and a goal in mind to understand what their path should look like and what they need to do to achieve it.
The Challenge of Funding
The career of a researcher is not the least challenging, as finding funding for research projects is constantly present throughout the career, especially among those who focus on grant writing. Scholars’ everyday reality is to identify potential funding opportunities and write successful grant proposals. This process takes a lot of mental and physical effort, as well as a lot of communication with other colleagues and institutions. Firstly, it is necessary to identify what research topic will be most beneficial when it comes to attracting funding. A successful academic career is impossible to build without mastering the art of finding funding.
Some of the things that scholars need to do to attract funding are the following. Firstly, it is essential to get familiar with the existing granting opportunities and the rules of grant writing from early on (Lock, 2015). It is also crucial to understand what exact expenses need to be covered, that is, what money is needed for, as the reasons why money is needed can differ.
Lock (2015) also mentions that it is necessary to signpost all the crucial aspects when preparing a proposal: “rigour, value for money, impact, scientific interest”. This way, the proposal will be more likely to successfully attract the right amount of funding. The last thing is not to be afraid of rejection and trying again, as rejections in the academic world are inevitable. Scholars can make several attempts before they receive the necessary funding.
Combining Research with Teaching
Teaching is another essential part of an academic’s career; more often than not, this part is just as important as the research part. Scholars often find that they must prioritize one over the other, which does not come easily to many. Many do not understand which should come first and which aspect should be paid more attention to.
Additionally, the problem arises when academics have a passion for research but not for teaching, but they have to teach anyway; the opposite can also be true. Thus, as Kelsky (2018) mentions, it is necessary to choose the institution where one aspires to work carefully and investigate whether this institution leans more toward research or teaching. This aspect comes down to understanding what you want to do initially.
Potential Careers
Based on my research, the following potential careers seem suitable to me. When defining the purpose of my career, like other researchers mentioned in the paper, I would prioritize grant proposals and focus on more advanced projects. Despite prioritizing grant proposals, I would choose an institution that allows for the development of research and teaching skills.
Thus, a scholar focusing on grant proposals as the driver for research activities would be a suitable career choice. Additionally, I could pursue a career as a professor who is actively engaged in research. It would also help involve students and provide them with hands-on experience.
References
Kelsky, K. (2018). The professor is in: Research first or teaching? The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web.
Kiewra, K. A., Luo, L. & Flanigan, A. E. (2022). How to be a productive scholar. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web.
Lang, J. M. (2022). The healing power of learning. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web.
Lock, H. (2015). How to apply for research funding: 10 tips for academics. The Guardian. Web.
Lundy, K. (2020). Why collaboration is key to the future of higher education. EY Parthenon. Web.