These Are What Lecturers at University Do…
PART 1
Society commonly sees Lecturers in university as a person that conduct and deliver lectures. While that is true, that is not the only thing lecturers do.
Background Story
I just became a lecturer on the 1st of July 2008. That was roughly 15 years ago. It was my ambition to be a lecturer, after observing how my father works, as a lecturer.
That time, I observed my father and concluded that being a lecturer is an easy job, there is more time and we have better control of time. It seems like a beautiful job and I can have time to do other activities I love.
My father retired in early 2002. He was an Associate Professor lecturing in Organic Chemistry, specializing in Heterocyclic Organic chemistry. When I was small, I always grab hold of his organic chemistry books, and somehow that triggered me to be interested in chemistry and subsequently pursue chemical engineering.
After high school, I wanted to do a bachelor's in chemical engineering but my final goal is to be a lecturer, just like my father. The main reason was that I also wanted quality time and a career just like what he had.
Finally, I Am A Lecturer
I completed my bachelor's degree in 1999, but only managed to be a lecturer 9 years later (The story between 1999 to 2008 will be shared later, one sweet day).
I became a lecturer using my Master’s degree which I took between 2000–2002. As for the present situation, to be a lecturer, one needs to have a Ph.D. That rule took place just after I signed off as lecturer, I presumed somewhere in 2009 or 2010.
I then realized the numerous tasks as a lecturer and those are not easy, unless one has the passion to be an excellent lecturer, that would not be a problem.
The 7P of a Lecturer
In my mother tongue language, the 7P describes clearly the tasks of a lecturer. The 7P list is shown below with the bracket showing the task in English.
- Pengajaran (Teaching)
- Penyelidikan (Research)
- Penyeliaan (Supervision)
- Penulisan (Writing)
- Penerbitan (Publication)
- Perundingan (Consultation)
- Perkhidmatan Masyarakat (Community Service)
I enjoyed doing all of the above. I have flexibility in my work. As a lecturer, and due to the nature of our work, we are allowed to slide our attendance once per day. Compared to when I was an engineer, I have to slide in at 8.30 am and slide out from work at 5.30 pm (but the reality of working as an engineer is we always have to work more and get home late).
After I completed my Ph.D in 2013, I continue serving as a normal lecturer, promoted to Senior Lecturer in late 2014. Honestly, I had fun and enjoyed my job.
However, the joyous part of my job started to take a different direction. Starting in 2015, I was given a Faculty Taskforce position. I was tasked to head a unit called University-Industry Exchange program.
The initial 7P for a lecturer now becomes 8P, as shown below (to me):
- Pengajaran (Teaching)
- Penyelidikan (Research)
- Penyeliaan (Supervision)
- Penulisan (Writing)
- Penerbitan (Publication)
- Perundingan (Consultation)
- Perkhidmatan Masyarakat (Community Service)
- Pentadbiran (Administration)
A few months after that, I was appointed to be the Head of the Service Laboratory, also in the Faculty. Then somewhere in mid-2016, I was appointed to be the Facility Manager of the Faculty. Here comes another huge task.
As a Facility Manager, I have to take charge of over 30 plus laboratories, the IT department, and also over 43 technical staff. On top of that, I need to start thinking of ways to generate income, because we have a massive budget cut to operate our Faculty. Imagine so much equipment breaking down in the labs that I oversee.
Now the 8P for a lecturer like me has turned out to be 9P, as shown below:
- Pengajaran (Teaching)
- Penyelidikan (Research)
- Penyeliaan (Supervision)
- Penulisan (Writing)
- Penerbitan (Publication)
- Perundingan (Consultation)
- Perkhidmatan Masyarakat (Community Service)
- Pentadbiran (Administration)
- Penjanaan Pendapatan (Income Generation)
Yes, up to a certain stage, we not only focus on the original 7P. We also need to serve up to 9P. As for me, the 8th and 9th P’s are very super challenging, and very tough.
When one held an administration post, most of the time is consumed with managing, handling humans, making decisions, meetings, and others. The time portion to work for the top 7Ps become smaller.
The story does not stop there. There are more to be shared. That will be in Part 2. Soon to be published.
Note: The story intends to share the challenging tasks as a lecturer — so that the community knows what we do. It is also to provide information to those who plan to be a lecturer. It is a noble professional career and I love my job!
…
If you like this post, please give me a clap to make me happy :) If you want, you can give me up to 7 or 50 claps as well. Thanks.
P/S: Follow me on Medium and get my content delivered to your email.
