Studentstuff.com

Be Nice to Your Professor…Your Career May Depend On It

Regardless of whether we love them or hate them, teachers’ jobs are to act as mentors to us students – to teach us, guide us, help us create and set forth on a promising path for an independent future. With so much to offer, it is vital that students learn to establish well-working relationships with their professors, though that may be easier said than done with some teachers and some students.

Instructors not only make your grade, but they can also help make your career. Professors have been in our shoes before, and some have been around long enough to know people who have great connections in the field you are studying. These contacts may very well make the perfect connection you need to get your own career started. And since your professor already has his or her career well-underway, your teacher’s reputation may very likely act as one of your strongest references on your resume.

Of course, you cannot actually use a teacher as a reference or even expect much help in landing a job or internship if your instructor does not feel comfortable with you. Teachers are going to look at your behavior, effort, and results in class before they consider recommending you for a particular position. In a way, the relationship you develop with your instructor can act like a pre-interview.

In my own experience, my first internship was landed because I was in good standing with my English professors, one of whom recommended me for a tutoring position when I asked her what good part-time jobs were available in my field. My instructor told me that she knew my skills and professionalism by the way I conducted myself in class. This is a good example of having helpful connections by initially establishing a good relationship with my professor.

I am sure there are still plenty of students who will still believe that a good relationship between a student and professor is not always necessary. There are always those teachers who seem nearly impossible to deal with or are related to a field that has no relevance to our career goals. Why bother making the effort of being on good terms then? Your grade still lies in those teachers’ hands, and although they are supposed to do their best to be impartial by giving the properly deserved grades, it is always possible that if your grade is sitting on the border line of a C or D, that teacher may just reward you with the lower grade because he or she cannot forget how rudely you behaved in class.

This is a very likely scenario that schools recognize. In lower-level classes, schools prepare a standardized manner of evaluating students’ papers, so the papers remain anonymous during scoring. In keeping students’ names withheld from the papers, schools avoid having teachers play any games of favoritism or discrimination.

Even the worst teacher deserves the slightest bit of respect, and could possibly play a big role in your career. I had one creative writing teacher who was constantly picking on my style, and although I completely disagreed with his own style, I remained polite and did my best to bend to his will for the sake of my grade. From that teacher’s perspective, I was a hard-working writer who needed more practice. He never knew that while he admired my determination, I hated listening to every word he said. If you keep in mind that it is in your best interest for your future, you may have an easier time smiling through your teeth at a professor who you just cannot stand. As it was in my case, that one professor happened to be the teacher who had more contacts with professional writers than any other teacher I’ve ever known.

I am in no way suggesting that students should resort to kissing up to their professors. As I had mentioned in a previous blog (http://www.studentstuff.com/2009/11/20/teachers-pet-or-pest/) being a teacher’s pet is a good way to create enemies with your fellow students. However, being a good student and showing your teacher that you can take your work seriously is a different matter.

Although it is easy for many students to take their teachers for granted, they fail to realize that not only are those teachers giving students the opportunity of landing good grades, they have the potential of helping students land a good job, as well.