I’ve been at FIT for years, I don’t need a mentor – do I?
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving… and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley
Even if you have been on the FIT faculty for some time, and maybe even achieved a promotion, you may still benefit from mentoring. Many mid-career faculty feel stuck in the “I’ve got my promotion, now what?” conundrum. Some mid-career faculty feel de-energized by teaching the same courses over and over or by heavy service loads that leave little time for scholarly work. Mid-career mentoring can help faculty talk through their current work situation and discuss options for the future.
Do you feel tired, confused about where your career is going, stuck at your current level, unenthusiastic about pursuing broader projects, annoyed that you have so little time for scholarly work? Figuring out where you stand now is key to finding your mid-career mojo. Some important questions you can discuss with a mentor at this stage include:
- In 5 years I want to be……
- However, I currently feel………..
- In order to close the gap between where I am today and where I want to be, I need to focus on……… and let go of ………..
- To move in that direction I need to sharpen my skills in ………………
Mentors can help mid-career faculty strive for new achievements in a wide variety of areas including: promotion to full professor, investing in more ambitious intellectual projects, becoming a master teacher, informing public policy, developing skills and experiences for higher level administrative positions, applying your work to consulting or product development.
Click here for an excellent article on the mid-career malaise many of us feel at some point in our academic lifetime.
http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2011/11/28/essay-need-tenured-faculty-members-have-mentoring
