Carl Costas is a professor at Sacramento City College, where he started teaching in the fall 2024 semester. He teaches video production at the college after “accidentally” becoming a professor. He was the perfect candidate for an emergency hire because of his vast experience in photography and videography for the vacant job in the City College photography department. 

The Express recently sat down with Costas to learn more about his experience at City College. 

What did you do before being a professor at Sac City?

I have been running my own business for more than 20 years. I’ve been self-employed. … I have an associate’s degree in visual communication, and it’s not worth the paper that was written on, it was terrible. It was from a graphic design school in Arizona, and I didn’t learn anything about what I do now. Then I learned everything that I do now from mentorship and making mistakes.

Compared to last semester, how is it different from this one? 

You guys are fortunate and unfortunate. You’re fortunate in that it was the first group, and you guys got away with anything that you wanted to 100% but you’re unfortunate because I wasn’t as prepared as I am now. I’ve got Canvas up and running, and I can use it as a resource for the class, and so I’m better prepared now. And I came to this knowing what I know from my work. I just know things that I do for my job. It’s like I can do them in my sleep, but not having the same level of experience in teaching. And so that part, I’m learning and growing a lot every day. So I’ve learned more, and I’m better prepared now.

So do you enjoy being a professor more or running your own business?

Oh, gosh, I like them both. I honestly didn’t know I was gonna [be] a professor. I mean, it was my first time, my first semester. Did not know how it was gonna work out. And I found all these things that I dig, that are intangible… I really do enjoy that, and I really do enjoy the fact that everybody that is here shares the fact that they’re here voluntarily to better themselves. Things like that you can’t really put a number [on]. You can’t really quantify that kind of stuff. Those are the kind of reasons why I enjoy this. And it’s hard to show up here every week. It’s hard to run my business and be here, and every Tuesday last semester and the semester that hasn’t changed. I’m shocked, I still show up every Tuesday. I can’t believe I’m here, but I enjoyed them both, and I’ll do this as long as I can.

How did you get into this profession before teaching? How did you get into making your own business?

I got that degree in visual communication, and then I went from there, I went straight into the Marine Corps. And when I was in the Marine Corps, I reacquainted myself with the reasons why I got that degree in the first place. So I started getting back behind the camera again, taking pictures of my buddies fighting fires, and that was the work that I used to get my first newspaper job. And so then I spent 13 years in newspaper newsrooms as a photojournalist, and that’s where I learned, I kid you not, these people, all the teachers around here have bachelor’s, master’s PhDs. My PhD came from the newsroom. I’m not even kidding you. That’s what I learned so much every day, different subject matters, being thrown right to it and being expected to really, you know, to perform well. You learn a lot, really fast.

So you were in the Marines? How was that? 

Very cool. One of the best chapters of my life. I’ve got friends that you know to this day, and we still stay in touch, and we’ve been out for 20 years. … I joined in1994. I worked Aircraft Rescue and firefighting from 1994 to 1998 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, three years on Oahu and one year on the Big Island, it was cool. I drove a fire truck on Marine Corps airfields.

Do you miss it at all? 

No, I don’t. It was an incredible chapter in my life, but it’s behind me now, and I’ve got all my friends who are still with me. There’s a lot of parts about the military that aren’t fun, so I don’t miss all that. I don’t regret any of it, but, yeah, I’m not going back.

So I highly recommend it for a certain kind of person, [at] a certain age in your life. If you don’t have a lot of other responsibilities and things it really is a very beneficial thing to do.

This Q&A has been edited for length, clarity, and flow.

Express Exchange is a Q&A series that highlights the people in the Sacramento City College community. Each conversation explores unique experiences, challenges these people overcame and perspective into what matters most in their personal journey. This series provides a space to connect and share meaningful experiences. Have an idea of someone for us to interview? Contact our editors at llentz.express@gmail.com and njeffery.express@gmail.com