Adamo, Michael

Being a professor at a community college such as County College of Morris (CCM) and teaching business is Professor Michael Adamo’s dream job — besides playing center field for the Yankees!And while he never made it to the Yankees, he has found a rewarding career in teaching: “I was in corporate finance right out of college, and I got tired of the daily grind,” Adamo says. “I started to substitute at local high schools and every so often, I would run into a student outside of the classroom, whom remembered how I helped him/her learn about business. This happened two or three times before I realized teaching was my true calling. I decided to go back to school and transition into teaching.”

Before joining the faculty at CCM, Adamo volunteered and then worked full-time at Essex County College. “I work best with young adults transitioning into their careers,” he says. “I feel more comfortable in the college setting, as there is more of an understanding about business at the post-secondary level than there is at a primary level.

“I always tell my students that whether you’re going to be a doctor, a lawyer, an entrepreneur, or an engineer, you need to understand how the core of a business operates and more over how it supports an organization. In the end, it all comes back to business fundamentals,” Adamo says.

Adamo’s favorite aspect of teaching is that every once and awhile students will visit him and thank him for helping them prepare for a job or for helping in some other way, as it relates to their academics and real world experience.

“Teaching is a thankful job, and every day I pinch myself when I wake up, wondering how I became so lucky to become a professor.”