Career Path Of An Assistant Professor At University Of California Riverside
Michael's career path reflects a pivot from history to economics, driven by a desire to "evaluate policy and provide policy recommendations," leading to roles in Teach for America, a PhD focusing on the economics of education, and ultimately, a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Riverside, a choice made after considering a prestigious position at the Brookings Institution.
Economics, Education Policy, Academic Career, Career Change, Higher Education
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
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Michael Bates
Assistant Professor
University of California Riverside
University of Michigan
History & Economics Michigan State University, (PhD) "Michael Bates has over 6 years of experience in policy research, advising, and teaching across in the areas of labor economics, education, and econometrics.
Economics, History, Art History
Education
Education
Honors Student, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. He switched from history to economics in college, drawn to the field's policy analysis tools.
2. He combined teaching experience (Teach for America) with further education (PhD in Economics of Education).
3. He prioritized academic life and flexibility over a prestigious position at the Brookings Institution after his PhD
Transcript
Could you walk us through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
Sure, I went to the University of Michigan. There, I started off studying history before switching later to economics in my senior year.
I think what I liked about economics is that it really has a toolkit better situated, at least I think so, for evaluating policy and providing policy recommendations.
So, I was involved with the Detroit Project and moved from that into Teach for America. I taught for two years, during which time I got married. I moved back to Michigan while my wife finished school, and I continued to teach in middle school there.
Before I switched over to a graduate program in economics with a focus on the economics of education, hoping to better inform education policy, I had a fellowship in that PhD program. I was studying at Michigan State University.
When I graduated, I had an offer to work at the Brookings Institution in DC. That probably would have been my dream job coming out of undergrad. But, I guess during the process, I had seen the academic life, and that appealed to me. So, I instead went for getting back into the classroom and having a little more flexibility to teach at the University of California, Riverside.