I ran into one of my former classmates from Indiana State University a few years back, and it was great running into an old Sycamore alum from the old university yard. I found out we would be colleagues in teaching freshman seminar courses at the college where we both work as adjunct professors.
We both have come a long way from being those young, zealous, African-American, inner-city youth. We were freshman classmates over 15 years ago working together in our English Composition 101 course. I was so happy to see how far we both had come and that we were still on a great track of positive successes in our lives.
She asked me how did I like my job and I told her without hesitation that “I love my job!” She looked at me with a look of total shock on her face and said, “That is something I rarely ever hear. Someone that actually says they love their job.”
It was the complete and honest truth with me saying that I love my job. The flexibility, the benefits, and the ability that I have to help people accomplish their dreams of attaining a higher education degree are truly a blessing and honor in so many ways. I enjoy my career even on the difficult days, because I know that I can be a blessing to someone and give back to my own hometown and community in such a positive way.
So the question is simple, do you love what you do in higher education?
Anyone who is a higher education professional already knows that you do not go into this profession for the money. As Black educators, we are not raised by our parents in many cases to become educators, because even they knew about the harsh realities educators of color face every day.
But think about this, do you wake up every day excited about going to do what you do at your college or university? Yes, the bills may be getting paid by your employer and you’re working for them, but does it have you jumping out of bed saying, “I love my job!” or saying “Dang, I cannot wait until I get off work today!” Is your life about working every day to keep the lights on or working to see students living out their college dreams? If you do not love what you do, what is it going to take for you to get to the point of doing what you love to do every single day of your life?
