The variety of graduation courses and areas of activity is a reality that every student is faced with when it comes time to choose the profession they intend to pursue.
Among so many possibilities, the academic career stands out, a field of work that, as it permeates all areas of knowledge, arouses the interest of many students.
But what does a professional who is dedicated to the academic area do? What profile does he need to have? What are the advantages and disadvantages of developing this type of work? These and other questions will be clarified in this post.
Also, we’ll give you tips on what you can do to be successful in this career. Don’t waste time and check it out right now!
What is an academic career and how does it work?
The academic career is the professional trajectory followed from the specialized scientific training, which is usually developed in the university domain.
To follow it, it is necessary to obtain high-level training, made possible through courses — the master’s and doctorate, and then join a college as a professor or a research institute as a researcher. The functioning of the academic career depends, to a large extent, on the specific area of training of the professional and on his work objectives.
Thus, in the same way that a biologist can choose between being a professor at a higher education institution and being a researcher in a genetics laboratory, for example, a forestry engineer can choose between being a university professor or doing management research in an industry.
However, even with the possibility of an academic career being developed outside the university context, in research institutions or industries, this condition is still not very common.
Most professionals who decide to follow this training path work as professors and researchers in public and private universities in the country.
What are the duties of the professional?
In general, those who choose to pursue an academic career perform two main functions: they teach classes, especially in higher education, and they carry out scientific research. While in teaching, the professional teaches subjects related to their areas of training and specialization, as a researcher, conducts investigations on phenomena or processes related to their field of study.
The professor and researcher who works at the university has pedagogical, scientific and administrative duties. Among them are: preparing and teaching classes, correcting evaluation activities, guiding students’ work and research, designing and developing scientific projects, composing evaluation boards, participating in meetings and department decisions, contributing to the creation of higher education courses and publishing articles .
What profile is recommended to work in the area?
Although there are no strict prerequisites, some features make it easier to work in an academic career. As he will probably give classes, it is important that the future professional be communicative and have developed interpersonal skills.
It is also important that you manage to maintain concentration , focus and discipline, as you will need to develop intellectual activities throughout your career.
In addition, it is recommended that the academic is very fond of reading and writing, as these are skills that are in great demand in their work.
Curiosity, persistence and dedication can make all the difference when it comes to a professional standing out among his peers and then achieving the desired success, considering that this is a career built gradually.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of following a career?
As in any other job, the academic career has its pros and cons, which are also related to the professional’s profile. Among the advantages, we can highlight: the acquired knowledge, prestige and good salaries, when compared to others.
The disadvantages are the excess of work, which is often done after hours, and, for some people, the continuous demand for studies.
How to succeed in academic career?
If, after learning about the main characteristics of an academic career, you realized that you have the profile to work in the area and that you are interested in it, you need to start preparing yourself now.
To help you succeed in this endeavor, we bring you 5 tips that, put into practice, can be the differential of your professional future. Come on?
Choose the most suitable area
Every higher education course is made up of several domains, phenomena of interest and research methods. Therefore, it is essential that you inform yourself adequately about them so that you can choose the one that best suits your preferences and work objectives.
When right, the choice of focus area tends to satisfactorily direct the training path and facilitate the achievement of a position.
Search for the ideal research group
Whether at the university or in bodies outside of it, those who follow an academic career will probably act as a researcher. In the scientific environment, research areas are grouped in accordance with the researchers’ theoretical-methodological orientation, which facilitates the work of professionals. Therefore, it is very important that the researcher finds the group that best fits his profile and interests.
Improve your qualifications
It is impossible to maintain an academic career without the proper qualification, since it is what makes the professional’s work possible.
For this reason, in addition to the master’s and doctoral degrees, it is essential that he be trained, a condition that can be met in different ways, such as through post-doctoral courses, or even shorter and more targeted training, such as mini-courses. and specialized workshops.
Study and stay up to date
As they are in constant development, scientific areas undergo changes all the time. This requires the professional to continue studying throughout his career, in order to update himself not only on discoveries related to his area, but also those related to adjacent domains, which may be useful for teaching and research activities. .
Have patience and discipline
An undergraduate lasts, on average, 4 years, a master’s 2 and a doctorate 4 years. Only then, there are already 10 years of study, which will not stop. Thus, to be successful in an academic career, it is essential that the professional be patient during each of the formative stages that he/she goes through, in addition to being disciplined in order to be able to fulfill them satisfactorily.
