In academia, you never stop learning. You have to keep reading articles and books to stay current in your field. You have to learn about other fields, too, that relate to your studies. You have to read a variety of sources, study complicated ideas, and deal with different languages. You have to learn about your areas of expertise and research, but you also have to learn how to be a successful student, professor, and scholar. You learn not just what, but also how. As an academic, I learned how to learn well.

Whether it's presenting a paper, speaking before a class, giving a lecture, defending a dissertation, or engaging in debate, you have to be able to communicate verbally. You need to know how to speak with students when they stop by your office; when you sit in (many) meetings, you need to be able to share your thoughts and questions effectively. Academia strengthened my verbal communication skills.

Academia, particularly the humanities, require a lot of writing. A lot. You write for every class. You write papers to present at conferences. You write lectures to give before audiences. You write articles (and books) for publication. You write syllabi to share with students. You write endless emails, meeting reports, and curriculum revisions. You write until it's second nature. Academia honed my written communication skills.

As a graduate student in classes, as a scholar who attended conferences (where people read papers aloud while you listen), and as a professor who sat in many meetings, I spent a lot of my time listening to others. Even more, though, I had the privilege to listen to students. When working with students – especially through mentoring, spiritual formation projects, and pastoral care – you learn to listen not only to their words, but also to what they're saying non-verbally. Academia improved my listening.

In academia, you must learn to work with others well. As a doctoral student, I worked closely with my advisor as well as my dissertation committee and other doctoral students. As a scholar, I worked on teams at conferences, presenting together and serving on boards. At the university, I worked with members of my department as well as the whole faculty, in addition to people in my committees. Academia requires successful teamwork.

Throughout my time in academia, I worked, studied, and collaborated with people quite different from me in race, culture, gender, sexuality, theology, background, ethnicity, language, religion, and values (and more). It wasn't always comfortable, and sometimes it was difficult, but I am thankful to have met, studied, and worked with people so different from me. Diversity challenged me to listen to others well, to think critically, and to love even the people with whom I disagreed vehemently. Academia gave me an appreciation for diversity.

Academia forces critical thinking. As a humanities person, I was taught to read (and listen) closely, think seriously, and question wisely. I had to evaluate arguments, engage with complex ideas, and grapple with difficult questions. And when you study religion – and when you yourself are deeply committed to your faith – you also have to think critically about what you are learning, especially how it relates to your faith. Academia sharpened my critical thinking.

While I had experience as a leader before entering academia, I was able to put those experiences to good use in academia. As a doctoral student, for instance, I served as the student representative/leader on our national conference board. As a professor, for example, I chaired the General Education Curriculum Committee. Perhaps less officially, but no less important, I had to be a constant leader in the classroom: if the professor isn't leading her class well, she's not doing a good job! In many ways, and through many opportunities, academia refined my leadership skills.

I spent a lot of time as a student in academia: four years of undergraduate studies, two years of master's studies, and seven years of doctoral studies. Without perseverance, I wouldn't have been able to achieve my doctorate, let alone the other degrees. Because the process can take so long – you have to take coursework, write a thesis and dissertation, and pass language exams, comprehensive exams, doctoral exams, thesis and dissertation defenses – you are forced to persevere. Academia taught me perseverance.