An innovative way to combat the protracted nursing faculty shortage is to recruit up and coming generations of nurses to academia. The most recent generation to enter the academic ranks are millennials, often categorized in nursing by a birth year between 1981 and 2000. In contrast to preceding generations, millennials are seeking roles in academia earlier in their careers. Research has shown millennials have unique perspectives on the workplace and a tendency to leave positions if they are not satisfied. This pattern could pose a challenge for sustaining the nursing faculty workforce. How millennials perceive their initial years in the nursing faculty role is largely unknown. Targeting the perspectives of these faculty allows for a proactive assessment of their viewpoints of the profession of nursing academia. Therefore, the aim of the study was to uncover the lived experience of early-career millennial nursing faculty. The study is important since millennials will be significant contributors to the future of academic nursing education. Two questions guided this inquiry: What is the lived experience of early-career millennial nursing faculty? What is the meaning behind the lived experience of early-career millennial nursing faculty? A qualitative approach using interpretive, hermeneutic phenomenology was used to identify and explore the meaning of the lived experience of early-career millennial nursing faculty. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews conducted through email. Van Manen's interpretation of the phenomenological method informed data analysis and resulted in three themes: being educators at heart, settling into the role, and forging our own path. Several subthemes also emerged. The unique perspectives of early-career millennial nursing faculty can inform recruitment, transition, and retention strategies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]