system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What are the requirements for becoming a philosophy professor?

I have seen similar questions to this one asked on this subreddit before, but it seems to me that most of those questions are from people seeking to teach at prestigious schools or to also become considered "philosophers" (which I guess means having their theoretical contributions to the branch of philosophy of their interest become widely read and acknowledged?). I do not necessarily want either of those things. I would be satisfied with being a philosophy professor in literally any college no matter the prestige, and I am not concerned with gaining notoriety of any sort. I live in the United States, and I essentially wonder whether I must attend really prestigious schools in order to ultimately attain my doctorate even if I am satisfied with teaching at less prestigious schools? Don't most colleges have philosophy professors in the United States, whether they are top schools or not? If so, do those colleges seek professors that graduated from top schools? Any other information about the path to becoming a philosophy professor in the United States would also be appreciated.
gpt
It sounds like you're imagining a position at a small, out of the way school where not a lot of people apply to work (because it's low-prestige and so forth). There is no such position. The job market is incredibly competitive. Any permanent position has hundreds of applicants, even if that position is at a school no one has heard of in the middle of nowhere. Many graduates, even those who went to prestigious doctoral programs, spend years moving between 1-2-year gigs until they finally land a tenure-track or otherwise permanent job -- and that's what happens when everything goes well. Some spend a few years hopping between adjunct and visiting positions before eventually dropping out and doing something else. Keep in mind that these temporary positions quite often are poorly compensated and come with huge teaching loads, leaving you little time to do the research, writing, conference-going, paper revision, and other networking necessary to get a position (*any* position -- again, the market is sufficiently competitive that there are no easy positions that don't require your resume to outshine hundreds of other applicants').