Previous teaching experience (student teaching, etc.) is necessary to become a college teacher; it will take several years at the minimum to gain tenure and advance to the rank of professor.
You should enjoy reading, writing, teaching, and researching. Not only will you spend many years studying in school, but your whole career will be based on communicating your thoughts and ideas. People skills are important because you'll be dealing directly with students, administrators, and other faculty members on a daily basis. You should feel comfortable in a role of authority and possess self-confidence. Familiarity with Internet programs and e-mail is also useful, particularly if teaching distance-learning classes. Having a flexible schedule also helps as some classes may be scheduled for evenings and weekends.
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Anthropologists
- Archaeologists
- Art Teachers
- Athletic Directors
- Biophysicists
- Book Editors
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- College Administrators
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Computer Trainers
- Cooking Instructors
- Cultural Advisers
- Curriculum Coordinators
- Dance School Owners and Managers
- Distance Learning Coordinators
- Driving School Owners and Instructors
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Ethnoscientists
- Flight Instructors
- Foreign Service Officers
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Educators
- Instructional Coordinators
- Instructional Designers
- Interpreters
- Journalism Teachers
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Linguists
- Mathematics Teachers
- Music Teachers
- Nursing Instructors
- Physical Education Teachers
- Political Scientists
- Preschool Teachers
- Real Estate Educators
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Secondary School Teachers
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Teacher Aides
- Translators
- Tutors and Trainers