<p>At a major research university (eg. Ivies, UChicago, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Rice) or a top-tier liberal arts college (eg. Pomona, Swarthmore)? </p>
<p>I know the crucial thing, apart from getting a PhD, is to publish lots of research papers. Just how difficult is that (to get them published and recognized by academic authorities)?</p>
<p>I'm thinking of majoring in Economics + another subject (probably Math, History, or Philosophy) in college.</p>
<p>Go to undergrad at a top 5-10 research university or a top liberal arts college for undergrad.
Get straight As while simultaneously volunteering for any type of research position and sucking up to potential advisers.
Get perfect standardized test scores.
Continue doing research, get your name on a few major publications.
Go to a top 5 phd program.
Be one of the top students in your phd program.
Apply for tenure track positions at given universities (put yourself through grueling multi-day interviews competing against the best and brightest across the world.)</p>
<p>If this is for math or econ, it’s nearly impossible. History might be relatively easier, but it is by no means easy.</p>
<p>Quite the opposite. History is much, much harder, since there are far more applicants and far fewer open positions. And with every passing year, there are (relatively) fewer positions, given the current funding climate in the humanities.</p>
<p>Here’s a few more things you need to do: as a graduate student, you need have a famous adviser. Someone who’s in the top ten or so in your chosen discipline in the world. This person also needs to have some degree of influence and power at the universities you’re interested in. Their recommendation will go a long way towards securing you a tenure track position.</p>
<p>Once you get hired you then need to make sure to play all of the departmental politics so that the tenure committee will approve you when they meet. And continue to publish and make sure that you land a couple of good sized grant proposals for the university (even more important than publishing!).
I have 3 close relatives that are tenured professors and they describe making tenure as extremely grueling. The politics of the approval process were world class from what I’ve been told. Just being brilliant isn’t enough.</p>