Cool Careers - University Professor

Interview with Sarah Flicker, Ph.D.: Professor, Environmental Studies, York University

How would you describe what you do?

Half of my time is spent teaching and mentoring and half of my time is spent doing research. I do community based research, working with teenagers on HIV prevention strategies. It is very hands on – and between my research and students, I spend almost all of my time with teenagers and young adults.

How did you get started?

I don’t know how to answer that! One of the things about an academic career is that it is a long process, with many stepping stones. You have to move step by step from: Undergraduate, to a Masters to a PhD and then land in a tenured stream job. If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would have gone all the way through that process to get to where I am now, I would have said “no way.” But along the way, when I took detours from academia, I hated it – I disliked the structure, the rules and the routines of office jobs. Instead, I decided to follow my own vision and priorities and love that I can reinvent what I am focused on every few years as I apply for new grants. I was always good at school and didn’t want to go the 9-5 route. The freedom of the academic life is such a gift.

As for how I got started in my field of research, I have always been passionate about youth issues and public health. I grew up in the age of AIDS and felt compelled to be a part of the solution for this disease that is entirely preventable. I wanted to give youth tools to stay safe.

What do you like and dislike about what you do?

I love the intellectual freedom and luxury to be able to think and be rewarded for radical thought. I like writing and the rewards of sharing my work. I like seeing the impact of the research that I do as it transforms kids’ lives. It is important that my research is applied – each project results in helping kids, who are in tough places, blossom. I love teaching and spending time with really smart, young people. I love the flexibility and the ability to set my own agenda and parameters and the balance between research and teaching.

I hate grading papers – actually I hate the job of assessing other people’s work. I find it devastating to have a student who has worked hard, but I have to assess their work as less than satisfactory. Also, at times, the bureaucracy is frustrating – it is not easy to implement a new vision in a faculty or enact needed change across the University. Change is painfully slow. Finally, it is sad to have students who don’t care. Luckily they are rare – but students who plagiarize or cheat make it difficult – I don’t want to spend my time policing people. Oh – and 1 other thing I hate is my commute. The subway is great – but that last bus to get to campus is hard to take, especially in the winter!

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

I am a tenure-track member of the faculty and recently got tenure. That means that I am a full-time University employee who gets a salary with the world’s greatest job security – a job for life with salary, benefits and pension. If you are not tenure-streamed it is much trickier to make a living.

I can also take independent consulting projects. The more renowned you are as a scholar, the more in demand you are for this type of private work. Funding for consulting work comes either via expense reimbursement provided from grants (travel expenses, etc. to supplement research being done) or directly from clients who pay for services. For example, I recently did curriculum review work for the Ontario Ministry of Education. One nice element is that I get to decide which private jobs I am associated with. I was once approached by a consumer product company to do research on how to target disadvantaged youth for their product –I turned that project down as it seemed out of alignment with my own interests.

What education or skills are needed to do this?

To be a professor you need a PhD. I have 2 graduate degrees in public health (Masters and PhD). You need strong research and analytical skills and, for the kind of research I do, a desire to work closely with people in a collaborative and participatory way. You need a passion for teaching. You also need to like to write and work alone – this is how you are evaluated a lot of the time. It would be horrible if you didn’t love to write.

What is most challenging about what you do?

There are two ways to answer this question. Part of my work is to prevent poor sexual health outcomes – to change people’s behavioural patterns in the context of policy that is often going in the opposite direction. I know, for instance, that where we find social exclusion and poverty, you will likely find higher rates of HIV. The government doesn’t always implement policy that supports my research findings and that can be frustrating. Sometimes very good policies and changes get shot down because of a small minority of very vocal voices. It is frustrating to try to do progressive work only to have it undermined for political reasons.

The other challenge is that my job has no real structure – other than my teaching hours. As a result, I need to set boundaries to avoid constantly working. It would be easy to work 100+ hours every week. People don’t always respect the boundaries I have set for myself and, as a result, I need to ensure I hold strong to the schedule I want to keep. For example, I am trying hard not to respond to email that I receive on Saturdays – the message can usually wait until Monday.

What is most rewarding?

Seeing the impact of my research when policies directly change kids lives is so rewarding. Seeing systems changing or watching a kid who has had a tough time in life with a hard shell emerge and be excited about letting their talents shine – that’s very rewarding.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

Find a mentor – find someone whose work you respect who also leads a life that you really respect. Your mentor needs to be someone who is generous. You will need a good combination of hard work and good luck and having the right kind of mentors (sometimes you need more than one) will help you navigate tricky decisions. Finally, it’s so important to publish, publish, publish. Your writing is your currency early in your career – often more important than the “doing” or the face to face work.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

People think that a majority of my job is teaching. It’s what people remember of their Professors from when they were in school. Actually, less than a third of what I do involves teaching.

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

I dream of a future where teenagers have access to the information and technologies that exist to protect themselves against HIV and where we, as a society, are not afraid to give teens this type of access. I don’t think my thoughts are so radical and a lot of my work is about debunking myths and challenging people to think more realistically. I dream of a future where government works in partnership with young people.

Personally, I am about to have a baby [her first] and hope that I can achieve a good work life balance and find a way to be a good parent. I think about how I will balance what I do with my own child, with being an advocate for other people’s children. I love what I do now and hope I can find a good way to manage all of my priorities.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

People often see my work with certain groups that are traditionally social excluded as a waste of time. I want to say to them that but for a little luck, these circumstances could be yours. With a lot of luck, patience and creativity these kids’ potential for transformation is enormous. Don’t write them off – they aren’t done yet. I’d also like to challenge the common fear people express that I am at risk of contracting HIV because I spend time with these teens: HIV is only transmittable through direct blood or sexual contact!

People can take a look at my research profile or read more about me and my research online.  

Thanks so much, Sarah, for sharing your career with Challenge Factory!

Interested in learning about other careers?  Check out our other Cool Careers interviews!