Sixty-nine recently graduated doctoral students in mathematics education completed a survey to determine their perceptions of transitioning from a doctoral program into an academic position at an institution of higher education. Research literature for novice mathematics school teachers was also reviewed to document their experiences transitioning from a teacher preparation program into a school teaching position. Similar transitioning experiences were found across both groups using the theoretical framework of border crossings. Findings showed that novice mathematics teacher educators needed more teaching experiences during their doctoral preparation programs as well as more mentoring during their initial years as professors. These findings are consistent with research findings on the experiences of novice K-12 mathematics teachers. The article then discusses how these findings impact the teaching and learning of mathematics across K-12 and university settings and offers suggestions for improving the transition for mathematics teacher educators into their academic roles as novice professors.