Compiled by Caroline Love

Efton Park
Professor of Mathematics
College of Science & Engineering

I would love to be a college football announcer. The idea that one can get paid to talk about college football seems to me to be the ideal job.

Mikio Akagi
Assistant Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science
John V. Roach Honors College

I like to think I might have been a translator. I’ve always been interested in languages and the arts, and I like helping people understand each other.

Translation is a tricky process, especially for artistic works, and it requires both faithfulness and creativity: You want the original author’s voice to come through, but metaphors and rhythms don’t transfer automatically to a text in a new language. People who speak different languages often have different background knowledge, so you have to decide when to teach your audience something new and when to simplify. Preparing a translation is like putting together a puzzle where none of the pieces quite fit. I think I would have enjoyed that challenge.

Mary Waller
Professor of Management
Neeley School of Business

Since I also have a master’s degree in information systems, I’d probably be in an office someplace writing software code.

David “Dave” Aftandilian
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Human-Animal Relationships
AddRan College of Liberal Arts

Probably freelance environmental journalism and natural history writing, which I dabbled in during graduate school. I love to uncover stories that help people (re)connect to nature, which is part of what has drawn me to anthropology and human-animal studies.

Jose “Antonio” Banos
Instructor of Strategic Communication
Bob Schieffer College of Communication

I would either still be helping businesses and organizations launch their brands and services … or petting puppies by the beach.

Li-Chou Cheng 
Professor of Professional Practice, Classical & Contemporary Dance
College of Fine Arts

I may be a ballet master for a professional ballet company, or a director of ballet school.

Ashley Franklin ’03 (MSN ’10)
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences

I’d probably be working at a hospital as an educator, because I like helping new nurses learn how to think on their feet and communicate effectively.

Gabriel “Gabe” Huddleston
Assistant Professor and Advisor of Curriculum Studies
College of Education

I’d like to think I would be teaching in some capacity. While I’ve had other passions in my life, nothing quite satisfies me as does working with students. I did some acting for a while, and at one pivotal point in my life I turned down a job as an assistant at the [John F.] Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. So maybe in some alternate universe I’m running an educational outreach program centered on the performing arts.