My Life as a Professor

The last six months have been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Like many of you, I’ve set countless goals over the years.

Today, in what might be my final week as a university professor—and coincidentally, Teacher’s Day here in my country—I want to share my honest experience teaching at the collegiate level.

The Goal

Becoming a professor has always held a special place on my bucket list. Teaching is one of my core passions. So, when the opportunity to teach at a university arose last July, I couldn’t help but say yes. I was ready to live the dream and check a major goal off my list.

The years of preparation and dedication had led me to that moment, and I was determined to seize the opportunity with open arms.

Decision

You might think it was a no-brainer. It was my dream, so stepping into the role should have been easy, right? But if we zoom in, it was actually a brave decision.

The company I was working for had recently gone under. While I was looking for new gigs, several interesting opportunities knocked on my door—but they required exclusivity, meaning I’d have to put my teaching dream on hold.

To follow my passion, I had to turn down tempting offers. I’ve always been a passionate person, so I said NO to secure jobs because the satisfaction of fulfilling a lifelong dream felt vastly superior to just “another job.”

Beginning

Time passed, and I dove headfirst into lectures, engaging activities, and captivating projects. With a small group of students, I filled countless slides and thousands of lines of code with my energy, motivation, and hope. I genuinely believed that through my efforts, I could not only impart knowledge but also inspire these young minds to navigate the intricacies of life itself.

A few weeks in, reality hit. A significant number of students had zero interest in the subject. I tried everything—creating awesome programs like video games and music players, involving them with tools like Live Share—but it wasn’t enough.

Administrative Hell

Simultaneously, I encountered the “administrative hell” that comes with the territory. On-site meetings almost every week, requests for obscure documents, and a slow, bureaucratic machine where resolving issues took months. Reaching the right person felt impossible, and often, no one seemed to know how the system actually worked.

Reality

After a semester, I faced a stark truth: although many pay a fortune to attend classes, very few have a genuine interest in the subject. It was disappointing, but I learned to navigate it.

My motivation didn’t waver, though. I continued building cool projects, even creating an Online IDE named StepCode for the handful of students who actually cared.

The New Decision

Now, here we are, likely in my final week. I have no regrets. It was an amazing experience, and I’d love to continue—just perhaps not here.

Teaching is wonderful. You connect with people, share knowledge, and become a reference for others. But you can teach anywhere, anytime; you just need knowledge, time, and desire. A traditional university might not be the best venue for me right now.

I haven’t ruled out university teaching forever, but for now, I believe I can help more people through other channels. We live in a digital age where connecting with anyone is just a few clicks away.

I’m leaning into that. I’ve already started a course on programming fundamentals on this blog, with new posts every Wednesday. But I won’t stop there. I’m thinking online courses, or maybe becoming an instructor on a modern platform. One thing is certain: I’ll continue following my passion and sharing my knowledge with anyone willing to learn.

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