It's a good career, but it's also hard given the demands of teaching and research. He cites in particular the time spent by faculty in securing research funding. It's a catch-22 situation where you have a conflict in the time that you can prepare for teaching and the time you spend chasing after the dollars. Research is necessary not only because part of your livelihood depends on the 'soft funding' it brings in to make up for chronic shortages in teaching salaries, but because it's the only way to stay current in the field. That's important to a lot of students.
College is expensive.
One that the professor can't answer. A dumb question is one a student already knows the answer to. He has always taught materials, and is a metallurgist by training. We're doing research now on 'smart' or adaptive metals that can be used in everything from eyeglass frames to bridge sensors that can telegraph damage to a structure as it occurs, and prevent accidents. He plans to get to them with the 27-foot motorhome he bought in 1990 that has already seen a trip to Alaska.