Page 144 - A Life - my Live - my path

ULB

Comment: quitting university
When I started teaching, I had set myself the goal of
staying for a maximum of 10 years, from the age of 42 to
52, if ULB liked what I was doing. In fact, I saw it as a
problem of appearance and credibility vis-à-vis students
enrolled in advanced technology fields.
During my engineering classes, we had an electronics
teacher we called Uncle. In his seventies, he was short and
a bit paunchy. When he stood on the podium in front of
the blackboard and told us about the latest technological
developments, there was a discrepancy between what he
said and the image he projected. It may have been silly, but
it was the reality we felt, because I wasn't the only one.
So, after teaching the Software Engineering course for

almost 10 years, and the fact that a few conditions had
changed, I decided to send in my letter of resignation.
The strangest thing was the reaction of those around me -
family, friends, work... - when I announced that I had
decided to put an end to my work as a university professor.
Nobody could understand my decision: "You're not going
to stop being a university teacher, are you?!"
It seems that the aura is also transmitted to those around
you.
My pride - if there was any - was fully satisfied, for I had
been in charge for 10 years. What's more, I was firmly
convinced that passing on the torch to a younger man
could only be positive for the institution and its students.

As for me, I was back to a slightly calmer way of life.

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