We surveyed 5,655 professors to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical professor. Here are the results.
How much intelligence is required as a professor?
Low
High
Working as a professor typically requires higher levels of intelligence when compared with the average career. This means that professors are required to actively learn new things related to their discipline and solve complex problems.
Can I learn to become a professor?
Intrinsic Talent
Acquired Talent
A career as a professor typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.
Is it easy to get a job as a professor?
Easy
Hard
It’s typically quite difficult to find a job as a professor. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for professors.
Do professors work full-time or part-time?
52% of professors work in full-time roles while 48% work part-time.
Is being a professor stressful?
Low
High
Stress is not uncommon amongst professors, with daily work sometimes being quite demanding.
Is being organized important as a professor?
Low
High
Some level of organization is generally required to be a professor.
How competitive is the workplace for professors?
Low
High
Professors see mild competition in their workplace.
Does being a professor require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?
Low
High
Professors will have to sometimes face time pressure on the job.
Are professors allowed to express themselves creatively?
Low
High
Creativity is intrinsic to being a professor, and a highly valuable part of the career.
Do professors have control over the direction of their work?
Low
High
Professors have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.
Is being a professor physically demanding?
Low
High
Work as a professors is not the most physically demanding of careers, falling in the bottom half of all careers.
Are professors exposed to a wide variety of work?
Low
High
The workload of a professor changes frequently, with their day-to-day rarely being the same.
Does being a professor require attention to detail?
Low
High
As in many careers, attention to detail is quite helpful for professors.
Does being a good professor require compassion and empathy?
Low
High
Strong compassion and empathy are critical to success as a professor.