From an Engineering Professor to a Prolific Book Author — Is It Worth It?
A personal reflection on the career switch
This article is a sequel to my About Me story, From an Engineering Professor to a Prolific Book Author.
For those who haven’t read the story, here’s the context:
In my late fifties, I left my job as an engineering professor and started writing books. In nearly two decades, I’ve written over 30 books spanning five genres: autobiography, memoir, philosophy, self-help, and spirituality That’s why I humbly describe myself as a prolific book author.
You may read the full story here.
In this article, I’d like to share whether making this career switch was worthwhile.
Working as a professor and a freelance book author is quite different. Let me first compare their work environments.
As a professor, you’re appointed by a university, usually in a full-time position. This means you’re expected to teach, conduct research, and handle administrative duties. You’re an employee of the university. As such, the university has considerable control over what you can and cannot do.
In contrast, as a freelance book author, you enjoy much more freedom. By an large, you’re free to choose the topics you want to write about, the way you want to express them, and the time you wish to write. You’re actually your own boss, with no one to control you.
Now we come to the question: From an engineering professor to a prolific book author — is it worth it?
The simple answer is NO — at least if we’re looking at it from a financial point of view.
Let me explain.
As a professor, one can easily earn $10,000 to $20,000 a month. As an author like me? I’m lucky if I make $10 to $20 a month. So, in monetary terms, it’s clearly not worth it.
But life is more than money, right?
Let’s take a look at our society today.
If someone contributes positively to society, does that guarantee they’ll earn more? And if someone causes harm, do they necessarily get nothing?
Actually, it seems our remuneration system is a little upside down.
Those who do good may earn less. Those who do harm might earn more.
So money alone isn’t always the best measure of what’s worth doing.
Then how do we decide what’s worth doing?
First, know what is right and what is wrong. If you’re clear on what’s right and wrong, you stand on solid ground. You won’t be swayed by money. Even if someone offers you a lot of money to do something you know is wrong, you can simply turn it down.
There are many forces in society pulling us in different directions. But when you also know what is good and what is bad, you can walk your own path — without being diverted by others.
As someone wisely said:
“It’s better to walk alone than follow a crowd going in the wrong direction.” — Unknown
I’m extremely grateful for the time I worked as a professor. I took the opportunity and made my contribution to engineering.
Since then, I’ve made a career switch and am now working as a freelance book author. As I mentioned in my previous article, I believe my writing has been guided by the Great Spirit. The content of my books is refreshingly original — ideas rarely found in the mainstream. And since the books contain much wisdom, I generally refer to them as wisdom books.
Which, then, is a better contribution to the world — engineering or wisdom?
Eckhart Tolle, a modern spiritual teacher, in his book Stillness Speaks, wrote:
Do you need more knowledge?
Is more information going to save the world, or faster computers, more scientific or intellectual analysis?
Is it not wisdom that humanity needs most at this time?
With that insight, I consider writing wisdom books a greater contribution to the world.
Furthermore, through self-publishing, I’ve been able to maintain my own voice and walk my own path. Even though the financial rewards are modest, to me, it’s truly worth doing.
So, the answer to the question: From an engineering professor to a prolific book author — is it worth it?
The answer is an overwhelming YES.
And there you have it. The answer is yes.
Thank you for reading.
If you found this article thought-provoking and would like to support my work, feel free to explore my books on Amazon.
