Increasing Job Opportunities In Postsecondary Education Says Baltimore Professor
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The number of people attending postsecondary institutions is projected to grow from 2012 to 2022. These students will seek higher education to gain the additional education and skills they need to meet their career goals. As more people enter colleges and universities, more postsecondary teachers will be needed to serve these additional students."
Dr. Alan Randolph, Professor of Leadership and International Business at the Merrick School of Business at the University of Baltimore, shows how a degree in business can lead to a career as a postsecondary teacher.
How does your experience in formal education relate to your current role?
"Obtaining my Ph.D. in business administration prepared me for a career as a professor. I have gone through an interesting metamorphosis, having started teaching in organizational behavior. I became enchanted with international business, and began to shift my teaching and research in that direction."
How has your education helped to further your career?
"In addition to the obvious academic preparation for being a professor in business management, my education also prepared me to be a practitioner of business. After being introduced to consulting in graduate school, my interest grew and grew. I felt it was important if I was going to teach about business administration, I needed to be involved in actual business, and consulting afforded me an opportunity to see into many organizations and to observe many managers. As a result, my research and teaching are informed by real world knowledge. My experience working with businesses has helped me in writing several successful books, including 'Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute' written with Ken Blanchard and John Carlos."
What advice can you offer others going into this field?
"If you want to get into being a professor in a business school, I suggest you get a Ph.D. in business to give you the important credential. In addition, I suggest being involved in real world business issues through consulting. My feeling is that you cannot be a good business professor unless you know something about the real practice of business management."
Sara Lugardo is a professional writer out of Chicago, Illinois. She has a bachelor's in Communication and is currently working on her master's. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.