James Ruby
University Professor
California State University, Fullerton
Fullerton, CA USA
“No experience or time spent in a job is ever wasted time. We can learn from everything and every experience contributes to the next phase of life.”
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Graduated with my BA from Western KY University
Got married to my wonderful wife
My wife and I had our first son
Completed my MA in Counseling from Northeastern IL University
My wife and I had our second son
Accepted my first university teaching position
Completed my PhD in Research Methodology & Human Development from Loyola University, Chicago
Moved my family to Southern California to begin my work at California State University, Fullerton
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Fern Creek High School
Fern Creek High School
Doctorate
Research Methodology & Human Development
Loyola University Chicago
Research Methodology & Human Development
Loyola University Chicago
Career
University Professor
I teach students in the disciplines of Human Services and Counseling
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Non-Profit Organizations
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
A typical day for me will include teaching students a variety of courses, advising students on academic and professional matters, engaging with students as their advisor in student organizational efforts, engaging in academic research and scholarly activities, and attending meetings for the university, my college, my department, and my professional organizations. I also work with curriculum development and accreditation. The work is varied and requires a lot of social interaction, which I like.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Working as a teaching or research assistant would be useful to anyone interested in a career in higher education. Also, focusing on academic performance is valuable as it opens up other doors of opportunity in graduate programs.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Doctorate
Research Methodology & Human Development
Research Methodology & Human Development
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"There was a philosophy that a person was supposed to know everything about their future when they were young and that was definitely not my situation. I felt like I was somehow missing something because I didn't know everything about my own future."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
