From assistant to associate professor
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
Continuing in our series on the changes in mindset that accompany career transitions, this week, I explore the shifts that accompany the promotion to associate professor (with tenure). This moment is amazing and tricky. It’s amazing because it’s a moment of validation for all of the hard work you’ve put in. It’s tricky because now you have to strategically craft the next set of milestones for yourself and shape your activities accordingly. The difference between being an assistant professor and an associate professor is like the difference between driving to a specific destination that you have to get to by a certain time (likely with a few traffic jams along the way) versus driving on an open country road on a beautiful, sunny day with no fixed plans or time constraints. (If you’ve never done this, I highly recommend.)
Putting in that promotion and tenure package is stressful, but it’s a moment in which you get to reflect on how far you’ve come. Your goal in compiling that package is to convince your colleagues, external reviewers, and review committees that you have a consistent history of scholarly research, that you have supported students and trainees who have gone on to enjoy success in their careers, that you have supported your institution through service work, and that you are an emerging leader both in your institution and in your field. Once that promotion goes through, there’s a giant sigh of relief: you’ve made it.
After the momentary (and well deserved) celebration for the promotion starts to fade, however, a bigger transition starts to occur. These changes are often subtle, at least at first, and can be easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. After all, getting the promotion was the goal, THE destination. For most of your career so far, it was probably hard to think beyond that moment since it looms so large in this world. It’s easy to treat the days that come after your promotion the same as the ones that came before. After all, you’re doing the same job as an associate professor as you were as an assistant professor. You’re teaching the same courses, doing service work, writing grants and papers, and mentoring students. Not much really changes in the day-to-day work. You’ve had your foot on the gas for years now, trying to shore up every area of your CV, in pursuit of this promotion. Now that you have it, now that you are there, it can be really challenging to ask yourself “but where do I want to go now?” or even “who do I want to be now?”
Because being an associate professor is like driving on the open road, there are many options available to you. One option is to just relax and intentionally hit that cruise control. You can, in fact, treat the ensuing days the same as the ones before. As long as you continue to be productive in your research, continually get funding, support your students, and your academic communities, you can have a long-lasting career. Another option is to decide which roads you would like to travel on to get to the next place you eventually want to arrive at. But that destination is up to you. Do you want to lead in educational and mentoring initiatives, and become undergraduate or graduate chair of your department? Do you want to lead in research methods and establish new tools for widespread use? Or lead in both education and research methods and create workshops and summer schools for students to learn how to leverage technologies for their own research? Do you want to set the research directions and standards for your field by being a journal editor or a chair of a grant panel? Do you want to be a strategic leader and shape the future of your institution by moving up the administrative ladder as Chair, Dean, or Provost? These are all different roads to take and there’s no ‘right’ decision. It’s your drive. And you have earned some time to explore again. You can take an exit ramp or make a U-turn if you’re no longer sure about your planned destination, or if just want to check out the vibes somewhere else for a while. It all depends on your goals, your values, and who you want to be. There might not be a ready-made map available, but trust that you’ve learned how to read the horizon. You know your surrounding well enough by now to decide where you want to go next.
As an assistant professor, your goal was to build something bigger than yourself. As an associate professor, you have the opportunity to build better by continuing to level up yourself. This requires intentional and strategic visioning because your route to your destination is yours alone. If you need help thinking about this phase in your career, reach out, and, together, we’ll map out a variety of options for you to select from.
Next week: A commentary on the contemplations of full professors
