If you’ve ever considered teaching in higher education, either part-time or full-time, here is everything you need to know to make the transition from professional life to academia.
“I’m not even sure I was an official employee of the university for my first night of class, Patrick!” Charley told me a few years ago. “I’d been given a syllabus and a textbook with about a week to prepare. Heading into a 6:00-9:00 pm Monday night class, I had around 60 slides of material borrowed from a textbook publisher. That felt about right.
Fifteen minutes into the three-hour class, I realized two things: the first was that I was almost halfway through my slide deck, and the second was that I’d not worn nearly enough layers. I’d already sweat through my dress shirt.”
You might think this is an ominous start to a teaching career. But Charley reminded me the first night of class is always the best (and worst) for a reason.
“At the end of three hours, I felt connected to the students and energized by their engagement. I hadn’t felt that good about anything I’d done professionally…maybe ever. Not to sound melodramatic, but it was life-changing! I couldn’t wait for the next week and the next after that. I still keep in touch with a few of those students. In fact, one told me they had changed their major and career path because of that single course.”
If you’ve ever considered teaching in higher education, either part-time or full-time, here is everything you need to know to make the transition from professional life to academia.
The first thing you need to know is that the life of the adjunct professor is not glamorous. The second thing to understand is that it’s a necessary first step. The road from successful executive to clinical professor almost always runs through Adjunct-ville. And that’s because you must demonstrate a minimal level of teaching proficiency to make the leap into the academic world.
Clinical professors are those full-time, non-tenure positions available to experienced non-PhDs in their field. Typically, you must have one-degree level above the students you teach (ie, master’s to teach undergrad, etc.). Clinical professorship is the standard objective of most candidates looking to teach in semi-retirement. However, adjunct roles can be a great opportunity both as part-time “practice” or regular employment when multiple assignments are strung together.
The first adjunct assignment is the toughest to get. It can be slightly easier if you have transferable professional skills (maybe you led training programs in your career?). Once you’ve taught successfully, additional placements are much easier to find. Success is measured by good student evaluations after a course.
Here is a step-by-step guide to win that first (and second) assignment:
1) Offer your services as a guest speaker, class project judge, or student mentor to professors at your alma mater, local universities, and/or community colleges. Don’t be too selective in the early stages.
2) Whenever you engage with a class, get quantitative feedback from an NPS survey or other sources. Qualitative will do, especially if it’s a reference or recommendation from the course instructor.
3) Compile a CV just for education opportunities. There are many guides and resources online to follow. The key to this document is to have an educational point of view or unique perspective. What advantages can you bring to students because of your background that no one else can?
4) Have a “class” ready to go. Building on your unique point-of-view, what class can you teach that few others can? Create a syllabus, have a text in mind, and be ready to say “yes” immediately. Pro tip – contact McGraw Hill or another publisher in advance to gain access to their library. They can give you everything you need to start, including syllabi, online content, tests/quizzes, and more. Leveraging generative AI for course syllabi and class activity ideas can be a great additional thought partner.
5) Network like crazy! Other adjuncts (and even full-time professors) are not your competition; they are your source of opportunity. “I really don’t have time to teach that class” is your buying signal.
6) When you meet with a university contact, go in with a list of classes from their current program you believe you could teach right now. Were you VP of Finance for a Fortune 500 company? You should be able to teach nearly every finance class in the program – and be prepared to discuss it during your conversation.
7) Know which modality you prefer or will accept: teaching in person, online, or a combination of both. Asynchronous classes require more upfront work but less during the term. Each is a very different experience and requires different skills.
8) Become familiar with the ecosystem of Learning Management Systems universities use to administer courses. D2L, Canvas, Blackboard, and others require unique understanding and can make or break your first experience! You will have a leg up if you can demonstrate basic proficiency in one or more of these platforms.
9) Don’t stop once you start! If you teach the fall semester, don’t take spring off. Putting multiple assignments together will give you the momentum you need to excel.
10) Think very long term. In many cases, decisions are made 8-10 months before a course is offered. Plan your schedule accordingly.
Now that you’ve taught a course or two, here are a few realities to confront.
1) The pay is likely not going to get better. If you’re doing this as a source of income, you may find it’s woefully inadequate. To give some real numbers: adjuncting master’s level asynchronous courses typically pays between $3,600 and $5,200 per course. When calculating the time investment (e.g.,~4 hrs/wk for 8 weeks plus 15 hours of course development time), you’ll be making about $75 to $110/hour in this model. While this might be okay side hustle money, it’s not a viable primary income stream for most professionals. Teaching needs to be something you really enjoy and learn from to make it worth the investment.
2) Consider which teaching formats are acceptable to you. In-person classes offer direct engagement but require commuting and fixed schedules. Online synchronous courses provide flexibility but still require set meeting times. Asynchronous courses offer maximum scheduling freedom but demand more upfront preparation and different engagement strategies. Each format requires different skills and preparation approaches.
3) Regardless of the modality, student engagement is a constant (but invigorating) challenge, especially when teaching online. If you enjoy finding new ways to distract and enchant an audience every week, you’ll do well.
4) Academia is not like your former world. Whatever your professional field, even if your experience has been in non-profit sectors, it will not operate with the same pace or principles you’ve come to expect.
5) It may be so fun and personally rewarding that you don’t care!
Teaching in higher ed can be one of the most fulfilling experiences you’ll ever enjoy. If you’d like to learn more about how to get started (and get a few networking introductions in the process), private message Charley to book an appointment.
Charley Orwig, MBA
Senior Strategy and Brand Marketing Advisor
Charley is a dynamic business leader and marketing executive with 20 years of experience driving business growth. He combines solid corporate and agency experience, creative aptitude and sharp market insight, B2B and B2C experience as well as expertise in diverse digital markets. Charley spent much of his career in Brand Management at Kraft, before taking on consulting and leadership roles in marketing and data science. Having consistently delivered accelerated revenue growth for many of the top consumer brands, Charley understands what it takes to drive organizational performance, and how to build teams that are capable of consistently delivering it. Charley holds a BS in Communication from Bradley University and an MBA from Benedictine University and holds certifications in Appreciative Inquiry and Ecommerce Analytics. Charley is a marketing instructor in Northwestern’s Kellogg Executive Education program and holds faculty positions at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and Benedictine University, where he teaches courses in graduate and undergraduate marketing and communications. Charley resides in the Chicago area with his family. He is an active volunteer in his community, a youth basketball coach, and will happily hop on a bike any chance he gets.
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