PDFE #4
For interviewing a professional in my field of study, I interviewed Dr. Angela Lanier, who works in the Kinesiology department as an associate professor, on September 30, 2010. I choose Dr. Lanier because of her vast knowledge and experience working in the field of exercise science. Also, as a backup plan to physical therapy, I have always been interested in teaching. Associate professors of kinesiology combine my favorite subjects with a teaching position. Below is the list of questions I asked and Dr. Lanier's responses:
1) Please list your job title and give a brief description.
I am an Associate Professor, which involves teaching, research/scholarship, and service to Berry College and the surrounding community.
2) What are the basic requirements for your job?
In order to obtain this level of work, you need to have a doctoral degree, evidence of successful teaching, research, and service hours.
3) What are your daily responsibilities?
On a daily basis, I teach kinesiology courses, advise students, revise curriculum, attend meetings, and work on scholarship. Much of the day involves interacting with students.
4) What are some rewards/benefits of the job?
Some rewards would include interacting with students and getting to see them become successful in their career/graduate school endeavors. Also, daily learning, publishing articles, and the freedom of not being confined to an 8-5 job. Some benefits are attendance at conferences, access to learning environment, flexible schedule, decent insurance/retirement package, and lengthy holidays are that often coincide with my daughters' holiday breaks.
5) What are some downsides to your work?
The main one is that work never ends. Sometimes I'm up working until 1 or 2 in the morning to finish projects. My salary is not dependent upon the outcome and is relatively fixed. Having summers off is not a true statement since that is usually the only time I can complete scholarship obligations. I would hate to see my hourly wages!
6) What skills/qualities would you look for in a worker for your field?
I would look for a skilled teacher, a researcher who is organized and self-motivated, someone who is zealous for student success, communicates well, gets along with and supports colleagues, and is knowledgeable.
7) How do exercise science courses play a role in your job?
Currently I teach all of the exercise science courses except nutrition and sport psychology, so it is very prevalent in my career.
8) Do you have any words of advise for someone looking to enter into your field of expertise?
It is a wonderful career. One should take the road to career one step at a time in his/her search for personal interests. Never let other people's negative/critical comments deter you from your pathway. Always strive for self-improvement and not for improvement of other's perceptions of you. Choose a mentor in graduate school who is not only well-known but who will be a good mentor. Also, get involved in other graduate students' research projects so you build your publication record early in your career.
PDFE #5
After reading "Becoming Invaluable," I began to realize both my strengths and weaknesses in preparing for a future job in the exercise science field. By nature, I am a planner. So, last year I thought that I was jumping the gun on planning out my schedule for the next four years and looking into graduate school requirements. Thankfully, planning ahead is recommended, so I am currently on track to graduate with all my graduate school requirements. As far as campus life goes, I am involved in several organizations, a sports team, and am considering going abroad this coming summer. However, I am not prepared for everything. For one thing, I cannot imagine what I will be doing five years from now. While I do not know exactly what I want to do with my exercise science major, I do need to at least narrow down my options so that I can take the correct measures in preparing for post-undergraduate work. The power point made me realize that I need to begin exploring grad assistantship opportunities, and need to decide what type of setting in which I would like to work. Also, I need to research what standardized tests I must take in order to graduate, figure out when I need to take them, and begin preparing to take those tests. In addition, developing a back-up plan would help ease some stress in case my current graduate school plans fall through. Overall, the power point helped lay out what I have done and what I need to do in preparation of graduate school.
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