Bruce Davis on Finding Work You Love
How did your career path begin? What brought you to UC Clermont?
Nobody would plan the career I've had. I started college as a music major. I played jazz piano; I still do in a few bands. Then I switched to physics, but for a variety of reasons, I dropped out of college and went to electronic school. I learned to fix computers, back when they were the size of refrigerators. I got several promotions and realized I couldnât advance any further without a bachelor's degree. So I went to school at night to finish my BS in marketing.
Then I was working on the business side of Silicon Valley, in the high tech world. I traveled all over the world doing deals. I became interested in the legal aspects of that and decided I was going to law school. So I went to law school, playing at a piano bar at night partly to pay my way. While I was in law school I became a TA, teaching contract law. I loved it. I wound up practicing law in Cincinnati and teaching as an adjunct at Xavier, the College of Mount Saint Joseph, UCâs College of Business and UC Clermont. There was a full-time spot that opened up here, and I finally joined the faculty in 2005.
What do you love most about teaching?
Itâs the most fulfilling thing I've ever done. The greatest joy is when my former students come back and say, "remember that thing you told us in class? I've been using it." That's very gratifying. I have a former student who earned her bachelorâs degree in applied administration at UC Clermont, then her master's degree, and is now working on her doctoral degree. I have another student who's now teaching at the college level. It's amazing.
What is the number one piece of advice to help students succeed?
Show up. Read the material before you come to class and pay attention. Those three things are the key to success I think in almost any college-level course. And a lot of folks think they can skip any one of those. They can't.
Career-wise, find something you really love. Then it isn't like work.
Bruce Davis is a professor of paralegal studies at UC Clermont. He also teaches in the collegeâs Bachelor of Applied Technical Science in Applied Administration program. His new book, "Fundamentals of Ohio Real Estate Law" (Carolina Academic Press, 2016) is available on Amazon.