The novels and poems of our own time are your subject: you teach and research literature still taking shape. Where the canon is still being written.
The week blends teaching, research, and advising, with much of the craft helping students read closely and argue well. You guide seminars and discussion, and fresh, unsettled work invites real debate. The academic calendar sets the rhythm, and committee work eats more time than expected.
What's tougher than students see is a brutal job market and pressure to publish. Funding for humanities is thin, adjunctification looms over the field, and the split varies by institution. The work can be deeply rewarding and precariously paid at once.
It fits someone well-read, curious, and energized by debate. If you need a stable market or quick results, academia's odds can wear. But if you love literature and watching students' thinking deepen, the work can be genuinely fulfilling.
Don't do Truest if you aren't ready
to invest in yourself and your career.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Turn your career record
into a springboard for growth.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The novels and poems of our own time are your subject: you teach and research literature still taking shape. Where the canon is still being written.
Median pay for a Contemporary English Literature Professor is about $78K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $48K to $155K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Writing, Speaking, and Learning Strategies.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 0% through 2034, with roughly 59,590 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Language Arts Teacher, English Teacher, and English Instructor.
It's your career.
Take the wheel.