This week The Novice Professor is covering advice for people who are preparing to teach for the first time. In a two-part post, the contributors of The Novice Professor will be giving our takes on five questions submitted by Rachel Williams, a first-year PhD student at The University of Texas at El Paso.

Read on for Part 1 where we discuss how we deal build rapport with our students but also strike the balance between empathy and standards. 

Guest post by Joseph Alfonso

​When you think about careers in biology what are some of the jobs you picture? Maybe doctors or other medical professionals come to mind.  Maybe you think about park rangers, wildlife specialists, or a botanist. Maybe you think about a biology teacher, most likely in a high school. Or, maybe you think about some kind of research biologist with a specific field of study. This is a fairly simple, but common list of careers that I and many other students think about when considering biology careers. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in biology, I’ve been navigating that short list for six years and ended up on track for a job that’s not as often sought, teaching in higher education.