Customer Reviews

Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Careers in Science and Engineering

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Reading this book brought back vivid memories of my own job hunt just a few years ago; of the time, energy, and preparation needed to get an academic position. The author mentions today's tight job market, and recommends that job seekers keep a broad view by not ruling out jobs in government or industry. The book is, however, a primer on obtaining a position in academe, and the preparation needed to succeed once you are there. Tomorrow's Professor is thoroughly researched, and covers just about every imaginable base in preparing someone for an academic career. It is well written and easily read. The first part of the book details the peculiar culture of a university, including its teaching, research, and service missions; its governing structure; and tenure. It confirms much of the anecdotal evidence about universities that I thought were particular to the schools that I was familiar with. In Part Two the author outlines the foundation necessary for gaining an academic position. Any student seriously considering a future career in academe must begin early on developing the research and teaching portfolio necessary to gain a coveted position. In research, it is important to begin publishing research papers, presenting results and making contacts at conference, and helping to obtain external support. For teaching, one must go beyond working as a teaching assistant, and start teaching one's own classes. For the current job seeker, the heart of the book is Part Three, where Reis outlines job identification and application strategies. The time and energy required to find out about a particular position and tailor one's application to fit the requirements is well worth the effort, he writes. This section also covers most of the steps necessary in preparing an excellent application, and it is often the inclusion of these details that can make or break an application. In today's tough job market, where hundreds of people often apply for a single position, following the steps outlined in this book could give applicants the edge they need to be noticed. Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering is an extremely invaluable read.

(John Crepeau is an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Idaho.)

This is an excellent overview of Ph.D. program goals, career options for Ph.D.s, and job search strategies. There's even a section on what to do in your early career on the tenure track. I'm in a position that gives me particular knowledge of the process, and still, this book is extremely useful. It provides multiple perspectives on the profession and addresses not only high-end research universities, but also liberal arts colleges with science programs and everything in-between.

This is an excellent book. I used it extensively as I prepared to apply for a faculty position in a science department. I strongly recommend it to anyone who would want to become a university professor in the future.

Reading this book brought back vivid memories of my own job hunt just a few years ago; of the time, energy, and preparation needed to get an academic position. The author mentions today's tight job market, and recommends that job seekers keep a broad view by not ruling out jobs in government or industry. The book is, however, a primer on obtaining a position in academe, and the preparation needed to succeed once you are there. Tomorrow's Professor is thoroughly researched, and covers just about every imaginable base in preparing someone for an academic career. It is well written and easily read. The first part of the book details the peculiar culture of a university, including its teaching, research, and service missions; its governing structure; and tenure. It confirms much of the anecdotal evidence about universities that I thought were particular to the schools that I was familiar with. In Part Two the author outlines the foundation necessary for gaining an academic position. Any student seriously considering a future career in academe must begin early on developing the research and teaching portfolio necessary to gain a coveted position. In research, it is important to begin publishing research papers, presenting results and making contacts at conference, and helping to obtain external support. For teaching, one must go beyond working as a teaching assistant, and start teaching one's own classes. For the current job seeker, the heart of the book is Part Three, where Reis outlines job identification and application strategies. The time and energy required to find out about a particular position and tailor one's application to fit the requirements is well worth the effort, he writes. This section also covers most of the steps necessary in preparing an excellent application, and it is often the inclusion of these details that can make or break an application. In today's tough job market, where hundreds of people often apply for a single position, following the steps outlined in this book could give applicants the edge they need to be noticed. Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering is an extremely invaluable read.

(John Crepeau is an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Idaho.)

The book is designed as a guide for graduate students, post-docs, and non-tenured faculty looking for careers in academic science and engineering.

The book has four parts: the first gives an exposition of the world of academia, the second discusses preparation for academic careers for graduate students and post-docs, the third discusses strategies for looking for and applying to academic positions, and the fourth discusses life as junior faculty and the tenure application process.

While the book is well-written and well-organized, it does not provide any helpful information or insight. All information in the book should be well-known to any graduate student or post-doc who is even slightly serious about a career in academic science and engineering.

For example, every graduate student and post-doc should know full well that teaching experience and grant-writing skills are indispensable when applying for an academic position. Every non-tenured faculty should know what tenure is all about and what is necessary in order to achieve it. The book discusses these issues as if these are helpful pointers for success in academia.

The book provides advice on how to write teaching portfolios, how to handle campus tours, how to negotiate salaries, etc. However, there are many excellent books and websites discussing these issues in greater detail. This book is thus superfluous and unnecessary.

I think this is a great book for anyone interested in a faculty position in science and engineering. It gives you the basics and teaches you things to look out for. I like how the author split the faculty search into different sections, going from the basics of academic institutions to helping you understand what to look for, how to prepare, and finally how to go beyond landing your dream job. Ideally, these books are best read in the year just prior to graduation, or even earlier. It is great overall!

In today's competitive job market, it is absolutely essential to have a book that will guide candidates through the academic job searching process. This book breaks down this complex process into a step-by-step guide with many tips and strategies along the way. With many personal stories from professors, readers will get a good idea about the challenges of the academic job search, as well as the faculty position itself.

One distinguishing feature of this book, is that the author also discusses how to prepare for an academic career, while maintaining the option of an industry or government position. This is particularly crucial for today's job applicants, since there are not enough jobs for all candidates. Finally, he also emphasizes the importance of a work-life balance and shares insights from faculty members on how to lead a rewarding life both inside and outside the university walls. Informative and inspiring!

Dora Farkas, Author, "The Smart Way to Your Ph.D.:200 Secrets from 100 Graduates"

I was very pleased with this purchase. Reis gives a great overview of academia and the US university system. He make lots of points I hadn't thought of as well as some very sage comments on how education should be approached. The main drawback of the book is that it is a little outdated - for example he suggests the new idea of looking for job postings on a thing called the World Wide Web!

This book gives you both statistics and information, as well as excellent analysis. I read several books from National Academy Press ... but this book not only summarizes it for you but analyzes it as well. Topic to topic, chapter to chapter are well organized and very enjoy to read. Don't be surprised to see 5 stars from any reader! Strongly recommend for any Postdoc, Ph.D. student, prospective Ph.D. student or even a Ph.D.

This book is amazing. Reading it has helped me put together a fantastic CV and confidently gear up for a new year of job searching. Although it's a tad light on the interview process itself, it does a terrific job of exploring every aspect of the academic career in science-including the potential potholes. It also has a large chunk of information about what to expect once you land that tenure-track job--including how to *get* tenure. I'll be referring to it for years. This book has well over 400 pages and it's worth every cent (despite the quite large price tag). I highly recommend it to any academic at any stage pre-tenure.