This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hello and welcome. This is Chris Guillebeau, your host of "Sydusle School," bringing you episode 2,142. The podcast comes out every single day, seven days a week, and I'm so glad you are tuning in. We're all about helping people make extra money without quitting their job, and by using a skill they already have. Now, we're gonna talk specifically about that today, using that skill you already have, how do you make extra money, and so on, because we're gonna hear today from a professor of sociology.
I should also clarify that she is an adjunct professor, and if you're not familiar with the U.S. university system, which doesn't always work that well, shockingly, this is a way that colleges and universities can hire PhDs and other well-educated skilled professors to teach their classes at a fraction of the cost of what they would pay a full-time professor. So now that I think about it, I guess it is a great deal for the universities. It's just not so good for those adjunct professors. But what are you gonna do in that situation?
Because someone else will take the gig if you don't. Now, I probably can't solve that problem, but it does serve as some context for this caller's question. How can she create extra income, preferably, again, using the skills that she has spent years training in? Or perhaps, as I'm gonna suggest, another one of her skills or one of her related skills. But let me not get too far ahead of things.
I want you to hear directly from her. So quick shout out from our sponsor, then her question, and then we're gonna dive into this challenge of increasing income as an adjunct professor. [Music]
Hi, this is Megan Cullingan from Buffalo, New York. I'm an adjunct professor of sociology. I enjoy teaching, but as you may know, adjunct instructors have it pretty bad.
I make less than $3,000 for an entire course, which goes for a whole semester and requires lots of prep work and student interaction in addition to the actual teaching. I'm not complaining, okay, maybe I am, but since I'm probably not going to change how higher education works in America these days, do you have any suggestions about how I could increase my income? I'd like to use the skills I spent years studying for, not just drive for Uber or whatever. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing your answer. [Music]
Hey, Megan, thanks so much for calling in.
I love this question. Not sure we've ever heard from an adjunct professor before at least not one who's asking a direct question about that. So I think the answer, well, here's what I think the answer is not. The answer is not just teach more adjunct courses, right? Because they are not paid very well.
And to go a bit further with that, I know the answer is not driving for Uber, but I wouldn't say, oh, these are my formal qualifications. This is the PhD or whatever that, again, formal qualification is. What does it enable or entitle me to do? I think that's the wrong approach. I think as part of obtaining that PhD and going through that investigative method and writing your dissertation and teaching the different classes and mentoring and everything that's associated with that, you're gaining a lot of different kinds of skills.
And so I always think it's good in this situation to go back and do a very basic skills inventory, which I've talked about a number of times here on the podcast and in my books in different places. What is the intersection of your abilities and what other people value? What are your true skills, both your hard skills and your soft skills? Like let's make some lists here. Let's think about different areas of expertise and knowledge you have acquired.
So again, it's not just like the degree is in the piece of paper that's on the wall, but it is like your total skills and finding something that is complimentary with what other people are willing to pay money for. And I would say don't be discouraged with your background in sociology because I have a degree in sociology. I had an undergraduate degree and almost a master's degree in sociology, ended up doing something different than going into international studies, which is also kind of like, you know, to be fair, a general sort of degree, as opposed to like, you know, electrical engineering or something, but I'm very grateful for it. I'm very grateful for it because I gain different skills and a different way of thinking along the way. So I definitely think it's applicable in lots of ways.
I think you just need to go back and like, let's start thinking, what can I do aside from, you know, being a professor? I've got this life experience. I know it can be applied in some way. I think less about your profession as a professor and go back more to that broader list of things you know about and are skilled in. That is my two cents for what it's worth.
And hopefully it's worth more than that. Hopefully even more than perhaps an adjunct course. Good luck, Megan, whatever happens, let us know. And listeners, if you have a question, sidehustleschool.com/questions, let me know what you're up to. We'll continue to feature them throughout the rest of the year.
I am cheering you on whatever you're up to. Take care of yourself out there. This is Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
