On Becoming and Growing as an Academic in Journalism and Communication

Written for students and faculty alike, this essay is a narrative reflection of how the author made sense of an early interest in writing to begin what became a career as a professor of media effects and then the diffusion of innovations. The essay speaks to the importance of concentration at work, creativity, and the value of working with people outside of the academic fields of journalism and communication. His time at Michigan State University brought him into contact with many Korean graduate students who themselves were becoming social scientists.