We all know why students attend college: to get good jobs once they’re out of college.

But the people who teach, those people called professors, already have the knowledge they need to succeed in the business world. So why have they chosen to remain in a university setting, instead of venturing out into “the real world” to pursue jobs in their respective fields of expertise?

The answer is as varied as the people who give it. Patrick James, professor of political science, for instance, said he has wanted to teach at a university ever since he was a young boy. He said because of the atmosphere of the small Canadian town in which he lived, he basically had two career choices: sports star and non-sports-star.

“As I said jokingly, one [job] was glamorous and high-paying, and the other was neither of those,” James said. “All the little kids wanted to be hockey players. [But] when I was about seven, I made up my mind that this is the life I wanted.”

That decision to dive into academia developed because of his affinity for books and politics. “I really was fascinated, even as a little boy, with international politics,” he said. “I asked my teachers who wrote these kind of books, and they told me that the kind of job I wanted was a college professor.”

Once he went to college as an undergraduate, he studied history and mathematics. He went on to earn a master’s degree in history. James said while he may be qualified to work in politics, he wouldn’t dream of leaving the university.

“I’ve had opportunities to become involved in political campaigns, with my background with statistics and political science, but my preference has been to stay in academia,” he said.

“I have a real dedication to it. I’ve seen people who’ve dabbled in political campaigns, and what usually happens is that they end up quitting academia altogether. I could never see myself leaving, because it’s a combination of things I enjoy: research and the classroom.”

Other professors have discovered the benefits of academia only through involvement, and disappointment, in the business world. Nancy Miller, an assistant professor of textiles and clothing, started working in the clothing industry at the age of 16.

At one point, as a member of management, her bosses “talked about making me a buyer,” she said.

At the time (the mid-1970s), Miller said that buyers typically worked 80-hour weeks, a prospect that didn’t exactly thrill her. So she decided to give college another chance.

“I wanted to try graduate school to see if there was something related to retail but that I didn’t have to eat, drink and sleep it,” Miller said. While in grad school, she had the chance to teach, and she really enjoyed it. But, “I never, ever thought I’d be a teacher,” she said. “I never planned to be a teacher.”

Once out of school, she got a job at a chain discount store that required frequent travel and weekend hours. She was newly married, and “at that point, it wasn’t an environment that was conducive to women trying to raise families,” Miller said. “So I started to look at teaching again.”

While she said that she left the retail industry because of the work hours, she realizes that being a professor also requires a lot of time. But at least now she has more say about when she works.

“People always talk about the hours that are required of professors, but it doesn’t seem as stressful [as retail],” Miller said. “You can take off Thanksgiving Day if you want to; you work Thanksgiving Day in retail.

“We work really hard as professors, but we have more control of our time.

“It’s stressful, but it’s in peaks and valleys. In retail, I was operating on three time zones, and it was stressful all the time.”

Miller also said the experience and knowledge she has accumulated in her retail career has helped her become a better teacher. Book knowledge is fine, she said, but it can’t tell you everything.

“Because I was in the industry, I can better prepare my students,” she said. “Some of the stuff that’s in the books is good, but experience has to count for something.”

Gregg Henry, an associate professor of theater, said he has had great experiences in education — on both sides of the desk. “I had good teachers who really did a lot for me, so I’ve always had great respect for the education process,” he said.

Working at fine art camps and as a grad student helped Henry discover that he really enjoyed teaching others. His favorite part of imparting knowledge to students, he said, is “flicking the switch, seeing the light go on in their eyes. … It’s a pretty thrilling business.”

Most people in his business — acting — do not have steady jobs in Iowa. But Henry said he wouldn’t trade his job at Iowa State to struggle in New York like some people he knows.

“I’ve got friends who are very good actors and who live in New York who haven’t acted in 10 years. They’re waiters,” he said.

“I can work with students all the time, I can direct, I can act, I can talk theater. Somebody pays me to do what I love.

“I have the best of a whole lotta worlds.”

And that old standby reason for teaching, summer vacation, gives Henry the chance to dabble in acting and directing outside of the university setting, while still being able to pay the bills.