Career Research Report (a cinematic masterpiece)

This is a condensed version (the highlights of) my interview with Dr. Michael Bush, a professor at BYU whose interests include language, instructional design and educational technology.

I chose to interview Dr. Bush because, while I am interested in an academic career, I wanted to highlight the fact that a varied background and a non-traditional approach can also culminate in a professorship. For this video, I chose to portray what it is about Dr. Bush's job that makes it unique - how he has an opportunity to pursue all of his varied interests even in the seemingly straight-forward traditional job as a French professor.

Parts of the interview that I did not include centered on the competencies required for this career. While a Ph.D. is a must-have for a position as a full professor, Dr. Bush pursued his in a unique way. He began in the Air Force, and in subsequent job experiences, he progressed through his schooling at the request of employers. While he began his career in the military, he ended up back at his alma mater BYU, and is actively involved in creating media for language teaching.

I have included in my video some basic salary information, etc., for the average University Professor, but most of my research revealed that, realistically, it depends what discipline you're in, what geographical area you're in, and what your specific position is. The nice thing about academia is that it exists everywhere - you could teach in New York City or in a small town in North Dakota. Salaries and opportunities may depend on geography, but there is a great variety available.

My research sources also talked about career opportunities - the traditional hierarchy and availability of faculty positions, from adjunct to full professor. There are also possibilities to serve on boards of professional organizations. I was more interested in portraying in my video, however, the variety of opportunities you can make for yourself. Dr. Bush is a great example of someone who has used his personal strengths and talents to excel in his field, pursuing what he sees to be important and compelling research subjects.