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OVERVIEW College professors instruct undergraduate and graduate students in telecommunications-related subjects at colleges and universities. They lecture classes, lead small seminar groups, and create and grade examinations. They also may conduct research, write for publication, and aid in administration. HISTORY In the early days of the telecommunications industry most workers received their training on the job or through apprenticeships. Advanced workers, such as engineers and scientists, trained for the field by earning traditional degrees in engineering or science and acquiring knowledge about the industry through on-the-job experience, military training, or through telecommunications-related classes. It was not until the last several decades—in response to the growing complexity and diversity of telecommunications systems (including telephones, cell phones, cable and video technology, and the Internet)—that colleges and universities began creating separate programs (or expanding existing engineering and computer science programs) in order to prepare telecommunications workers. With nearly one million workers in the field today, and technology constantly changing, there is growing demand for telecommunications teachers to prepare future telecommunications engineers, scientists, technicians, and other workers in the field.
THE JOB College and university faculty members teach at junior colleges or at four-year colleges and universities. At four-year institutions, most faculty members are assistant professors, associate professors, or full professors. These three types of professorships differ in regards to status, job responsibilities, and salary. Assistant professors are new faculty members who are working to get tenure (status as a permanent professor); they seek to advance to associate and then to full professorships. Telecommunications professors perform three main functions: teaching, advising, and research. Their most important responsibility is to teach students. Their role within a college department will determine the level of courses they teach and the number of courses per semester. Most professors work with students at all levels, from college freshmen to graduate students. They may head several classes a semester or only a few a year. Some of their classes will have large enrollment, while graduate seminars may consist of only 12 or fewer students. Though college telecommunications professors may spend fewer than 15 hours a week in the actual classroom, they spend many hours preparing lectures and lesson plans, grading papers and exams, and preparing grade reports. They also schedule office hours during the week to be available to students outside of the lecture hall, and they meet with students individually throughout the semester. In the classroom, professors lecture, lead discussions, administer exams, and assign textbook reading and other research. While most professors teach entry-level classes such as Introduction to Fiber Optics, Database Systems, and Programming for Telecommunications, some also teach higher-level classes, such as Advanced Software Engineering, Advanced Data Structures, Remote Access Networks, Emerging Broadband Technologies, Emerging Wireless Technologies, Voice-Over IP Technologies, Solid State Devices and Circuits, Signal Transmission for Telecommunications, Data Trans mission Systems, and Microcomputer Hardware. In some courses, they rely heavily on laboratories to transmit course material. Another important responsibility is advising students. Not all faculty members serve as advisers, but those who do must set aside large blocks of time to guide students through the program. College telecommunications professors who serve as advisers may have any number of students assigned to them, from fewer than 10 to more than 100, depending on the administrative policies of the college. Their responsibility may involve looking over a planned program of studies to make sure the students meet requirements for graduation, or it may involve working intensively with each student on many aspects of college life. The third responsibility of telecommunications faculty members is research and publication. Faculty members who are heavily involved in research programs sometimes are assigned a smaller teaching load. Telecommunications professors publish their research findings in various trade and scholarly journals such as IEEE Wireless Communication Magazine, Communications Technology, Optics and Photonics News, and Wireless Week. They also write books based on their research or on their own knowledge and experience in the field. Most textbooks are written by college and university teachers. Publishing a significant amount of work has been the traditional standard by which assistant telecommunications professors prove themselves worthy of becoming permanent, tenured faculty. Typically, pressure to publish is greatest for assistant professors. Pres sure to publish increases again if an associate professor wishes to be considered for a promotion to full professorship. Professors in junior colleges face less pressure to publish than those in four-year institutions. Some telecommunications faculty members eventually rise to the position of department chair, where they govern the affairs of an entire department. Department chairs, faculty, and other professional staff members are aided in their myriad duties by graduate assistants, who may help develop teaching materials, conduct research, give examinations, teach lower-level courses, and carry out other activities such as grading papers and exams. Some telecommunications professors may also conduct classes in an extension program. In such a program, they teach evening and weekend courses for the benefit of people who otherwise would not be able to take advantage of the institution’s resources. They may travel away from the campus and meet with a group of students at another location. They may work full time for the extension division or may divide their time between on-campus and off-campus teaching. Distance learning programs, an increasingly popular option for students, give telecommunications professors the opportunity to use today’s technologies to remain in one place while teaching students who are at a variety of locations simultaneously. The professor’s duties, like those when teaching correspondence courses conducted by mail, include grading work that students send in at periodic intervals and advising students of their progress. Computers, the Internet, email, and video conferencing, however, are some of the technology tools that allow professors and students to communicate in “real time” in a virtual classroom setting. Meetings may be scheduled during the same time as traditional classes or during evenings and weekends. Professors who do this work are sometimes known as extension work, correspondence, or distance learning instructors. They may teach online courses in addition to other classes or may have distance learning as their major teaching responsibility. The junior college telecommunications instructor has many of the same kinds of responsibilities as does the teacher in a four-year college or university. Because junior colleges offer only a two-year program, they teach only undergraduates. REQUIREMENTS High School Your high school’s college preparatory program likely includes courses in English, science, foreign language, history, math, and government. In addition, you should take courses in speech to get a sense of what it will be like to lecture to a group of students. Your school’s debate team can also help you develop public speaking skills, along with research skills. Postsecondary Training At least one advanced degree in telecommunications or a related field (such as information systems, hardware engineering, software engineering, fiber optics, computer network administration, electrical or electronics engineering/technology, information security, or wireless networking) is required to be a professor in a college or university. Typical classes focus on telecommunications technology, repair, net working, software, emerging technologies, and management. The master’s degree is considered the minimum standard, and graduate work beyond the master’s is usually desirable. If you hope to advance in academic rank above instructor, most institutions require a doctor ate. Only a few colleges offer graduate degrees in telecommunications; you will have to earn a graduate degree in engineering or a related field and minor or take a concentration in telecommunications. In the last year of your undergraduate program, you’ll apply to graduate programs in your area of study. Standards for admission to a graduate program can be high and the competition heavy, depending on the school. Once accepted into a program, your responsibilities will be similar to those of your professors—in addition to attending seminars, you will conduct research, prepare articles for publication, and teach some undergraduate courses. You may find employment in a junior college with only a master’s degree. Advancement in responsibility and in salary, however, is more likely to come if you have earned a doctorate. Other Requirements You should enjoy reading, writing, and researching. Not only will you spend many years studying in school, but your whole career will be based on communicating your thoughts and ideas. People skills are important because you’ll be dealing directly with students, administrators, and other faculty members on a daily basis. You should feel comfortable in a role of authority and possess self-confidence. EXPLORING Your high school teachers use many of the same skills as college professors, so talk to your teachers about their careers and their college experiences. You can develop your own teaching experience by volunteering at a community center, working at a day care center, or working at a summer camp. Also, spend some time on a college campus to get a sense of the environment. Write to colleges for their admissions brochures and course catalogs (or check them out online); read about the telecommunications faculty members and the courses they teach. Before visiting college campuses, make arrangements to speak to professors who teach courses that interest you. These professors may allow you to sit in on their classes and observe. Also, make appointments with college advisers and with people in the admissions and recruitment offices. If your grades are good enough, you might be able to serve as a teaching assistant during your undergraduate years, which can give you experience leading discussions and grading papers. EMPLOYERS Employment opportunities vary based on area of study and education. Most universities have many different departments that hire telecommunications faculty including computer science and engineering. Some colleges also have stand-alone telecommunications departments. With a doctorate, a number of publications, and a record of good teaching, professors should find opportunities in universities all across the country. Professors teach in undergraduate and graduate programs. The teaching jobs at doctoral institutions are usually better paying and more prestigious. The most sought-after positions are those that offer tenure. Teachers that have only a master’s degree will be limited to opportunities with junior colleges, community colleges, and some small private institutions. STARTING OUT You should start the process of finding a teaching position while you are in graduate school. The process includes developing a curriculum vitae (a detailed, academic resume), writing for publication, assisting with research, attending conferences, and gaining teaching experience and recommendations. Many students begin applying for teaching positions while finishing their graduate program. For most positions at four-year institutions, you must travel to large conferences where interviews can be arranged with representatives from the universities to which you have applied. Because of the competition for tenure-track positions, you may have to work for a few years in temporary positions, visiting various schools as an adjunct professor. Some professional associations maintain lists of teaching opportunities in their areas. They may also make lists of applicants available to college administrators looking to fill an available position. ADVANCEMENT The normal pattern of advancement is from instructor to assistant professor, to associate professor, to full professor. All four academic ranks are concerned primarily with teaching and research. College faculty members who have an interest in and a talent for administration may be advanced to chair of a department or to dean of their college. A few become college or university presidents or other types of administrators. The instructor is usually an inexperienced college teacher. He or she may hold a doctorate or may have completed all the Ph.D. requirements except for the dissertation. Most colleges look upon the rank of instructor as the period during which the college is trying out the teacher. Instructors usually are advanced to the position of assistant professors within three to four years. Assistant professors are given up to about six years to prove themselves worthy of tenure, and if they do so, they become associate professors. Some professors choose to remain at the associate level. Others strive to become full professors and receive greater status, salary, and responsibilities. Most colleges have clearly defined promotion policies for faculty members. Many colleges and universities have written statements about the number of years in which instructors and assistant professors may remain at their present academic rank before applying for tenure or a promotion to the next tenured level at the institution. If an instructor or an assistant professor does not obtain a tenured faculty position at their college or university within a specified period of time, he or she will be encouraged or required to seek another faculty position at a different college or university. Administrators in many colleges hope to encourage younger faculty members to increase their skills and competencies and thus to qualify for the more responsible and prestigious positions of associate professor and full professor. EARNINGS Earnings vary by the departments professors work in, by the size of the school, by the type of school (public, private, women’s only, for example), and by the level of position the professor holds. In its 2006-07 salary survey, the American Association of University Professors reported the average yearly income for all full-time faculty was $73,207. It also reports that professors earned the following average salaries by rank: full professors, $98,974; associate professors, $69,911; assistant professors, $58,662; instructors, $42,609; and lecturers, $48,289. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2006, the median salary for all postsecondary instructors was $63,930, with 10 percent earning $120,580 or more and 10 percent earning $33,590 or less. Those with the highest earnings tend to be senior tenured faculty; those with the lowest, graduate assistants. Professors working on the West Coast and the East Coast and those working at doctorate-granting institutions also tend to have the highest salaries. Many professors try to increase their earnings by completing research, publishing in their field, or teaching additional courses. Benefits for full-time telecommunications faculty typically include health insurance and retirement funds and, in some cases, stipends for travel related to research, housing allowances, and tuition waivers for dependents. WORK ENVIRONMENT A college or university is usually a pleasant place in which to work. Campuses bustle with all types of activities and events, stimulating ideas, and a young, energetic population. Much prestige comes with success as a telecommunications professor and scholar; professors have the respect of students, colleagues, and others in their community. Depending on the size of the department, telecommunications professors may have their own office, or they may have to share an office with one or more colleagues. Their department may pro ‘ them with a computer, Internet access, and research assistants. College professors are also able to do much of their office work at home. They can arrange their schedule around class hours, academic meetings, and the established office hours when they meet with students. Most telecommunications teachers work more than 40 hours each week. Although college professors may teach only two or three classes a semester, they spend many hours preparing for lectures, examining student work, and conducting research. OUTLOOK Overall employment in the telecommunications industry is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all industries through 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Employment areas that are expected to show the strongest growth include wireless technology, electronics engineering, computer science, sales and marketing, and customer service. Professors who teach classes in these fields should have good employment opportunities. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts much faster than average employment growth for college and university professors through 2016. College enrollment is projected to grow due to an increased number of 18- to 24-year-olds, an increased number of adults returning to college, and an increased number of foreign-born students. Retirement of current faculty members will also provide job openings. However, competition for full-time, tenure-track positions at four-year schools will be very strong. FOR MORE INFORMATION To read about the issues affecting college professors, contact the following organizations: American Association of University Professors 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-3406 Tel: 202-737-5900 Email: aaup@aaup.org American Federation of Teachers 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001-2029 Tel: 202-879-4400 Email: online@aft.org For information on internships, student membership, and the student magazine, Crossroads, contact Association for Computing Machinery 1515 Broadway New York, NY 10036-8901 Tel: 212-869-7440 To learn about fiber optics, contact Fiber Optic Association 1119 South Mission Road, #355 Fallbrook, CA 92028-3225 Tel: 760-451-3655 Email: info@thefoa.org For information on scholarships, student membership, and to read Careers in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, visit the IEEE Web site. IEEE Computer Society 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202 Washington, DC 20036-5104 Tel: 202-371-0101 For information on careers and educational programs, contact Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202 Washington, DC 20036-5104 Tel: 202-785-0017 Email: ieeeusa@ieee.org For information on careers and the cable industry, contact National Cable and Telecommunications Association 25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20001-1434 Tel: 202-222-2300 To learn about telecommunications technology and uses for fiber optics, visit the OSA Web site. Optical Society of America (OSA) 2010 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036-1012 Tel: 202-223-8130 Email: info@osa.org For information on careers and educational programs, contact Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers 140 Philips Road Exton, PA 19341-1318 Tel: 800-542-5040 Email: scte@scte.org INTERVIEW: Walter Koontz, professor and chair of the Telecommunications Engineering Technology Program at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, discussed his career and the education of telecommunications engineering students with us below. Q. Can you tell us about your program and your background? A. The College of Applied Science and Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) offers certificate programs, a bachelor of science, and a master of science in Telecommunications Engineering Technology (TET). The undergraduate TET Program is one of three engineering technology programs offered by the department, and each of these programs is based on a foundation of math, physics, circuit theory, electronics, and programming, as well as liberal arts. (Visit http://www.rit.edu/ cast/ectet to learn more about the program.) I have been a professor at RIT since December 2000 and am currently a tenured full professor and chair of the TET program. Prior to coming to RIT, I was employed for more than 32 years by Bell Laboratories, where I retired as director of the Optical Networking Product Development Laboratory in Nuremberg, Germany. I have a bachelor of science from the University of Maryland, a master of science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University, all in electrical engineering. Q. What are some of the pros and cons of being a college professor? A. The number one benefit is working with students and helping them learn. Most students are eager to learn and they actually help keep you feeling young. I also enjoy the flexible working arrangements, especially the summer break. My colleagues are great to work with and the campus is a tremendous facility for teaching, scholarship, recreation, and entertainment. My only frustration is with the complex and inefficient process for recruiting new faculty. Q. What is one thing that young people may not know about a career in telecommunications? A. I suspect that many do not realize how broad the field of telecommunication really is. Depending on their background, they may think that it just involves working at a telephone company or with the Internet. Q. What are the most important personal and professional qualities for telecommunications engineering technology students? A. They should have a good basis in fundamental subjects that will serve them for the long run. They should realize that most of the technology they will work with over the course of their careers has not been discovered yet. They also need to learn how to work in teams. All of the telecommunication problems that can be solved by a single individual have already been solved. Q. What advice would you give students as they graduate and look for jobs? A. Try to learn as much as you can about the variety of jobs that are available. The industry includes service providers, equipment providers, and consulting engineering firms. You may consider the large, well-known companies such as AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner, but there are many smaller companies that have survived the “bubble” and are doing quite well. I recently spoke with the president of a telecommunications consulting company whose ISO or so employees are managing the operations of some of the largest service providers in the nation. Q. Are there any changes in this job market that students should expect? Have certain areas of this field been especially promising in recent years? A. They should expect change, period. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and network convergence are current buzzwords, and it is probably a good idea to be conversant in these areas. PREV: Cable
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