Thread: NEed Advice about entering career of education

I would like to know the answer to this also. I have my BBA and would like to go into teaching. I live in MI and don't know what step to take next.

Stay away from education because I believe you'll be highly disappointed. In another time, another era, I'd say "yes," go for it. If you think the business world is "dog eat dog," and it may be, it's no different now and in some cases worse in education.

Consider this: You may end up spending thousands of dollars to get an "education" degree which you may never get to use. Schools are cutting back staff everywhere, and those who do get hired, 95% of the time (an honest administrator told me this) they already know who they are going to hire when they post the position (lots of nepotisim and cronyism in their "hiring process").

What's sad is that you are probably just as qualified, if not more, to teach now, but you don't have that sacred "teaching license" or degree, which is just a money-making racket.

I'm just keeping it real with you. Is this "across the board"? I don't know about the whole United States, but I hear more of these stories than I do good ones. I'm sure there are pockets of good schools and fair hiring practices out there. You do what you want, but I'd check and think long and hard first.........................

Originally Posted by thinkingabout_teaching

Greetings everyone..
I have a bachelor of business admininistration degree. I work in IT and dont like it (hard to find jobs etc..)
I been considering teaching. However, it appears there are only certain subjects that are in a critical shortage.

If anyone could offer me advise I would be appreciative.

Is the job marker for those who enter this profession good? Also, I think I could go back to school and get a MAT

I think I would like to teach either early childhood or middle grades

Yes the job market is pretty ripe right now. Lots of old teachers retiring. The school my dad works at has something like 12 positions opening next year. my building will have 4 or five. Go to any education job board and look at the openings. Now, it might difficult in your area to get a job so you would have to be willing to move. All jobs are like that though.

You will need to get certified, but many states offer different paths to the certification. These different paths are usually available in districts that are either poor or rural or both, or in inner cities.

The jobs are out there and they are available. If you feel the calling to teach then do it. But, honestly you would probably make more of a salary in the field you are in, if you can land a job.

Ask yourself why you want to teach and go from there.

There is a good market for teachers in major metro areas in Texas (e.g. Houston, Dallas/Ft-Worth, San Antonio, and to a lesser extent Austin). The major shortage areas are MATH teachers, SCIENCE teachers, ESL, Special Education, and bi-lingual (especially languages other than Spanish, such as Vietnamese, Chinese, Urdu, etc.).

My advice for a business-oriented person would be to get certified in math or science and teach grades 6-12 math and/or science.

Additionally, despite the fact that Texas already has a math & science teacher shortage, the legislature just passed a law making future high school students required to take 4 full years of math AND science (rather than the 3 previously), which means we'll need 25% more math and science teachers within 3 years.

Also, some specialty areas are good if you can slide into them. There are Business classes in high school as well as some other career and technology areas, but they are hard to get into and the state keeps cutting funding for non-academic courses, with the flawed assumption that every student can and should go to college (but that's a whole other thread/discussion).

Now, if you think education is good to go into because it's "easy to get a job" or because "you get summers off" then go look elsewhere. I also used to work IT for major corporations. I have never worked EVEN REMOTELY as hard as I work as a teacher. I love it myself, but I was also an education major in college. IT was a college job for me... I love teaching, but every single day is physically and mentally exhausting. I used to go out to movies or for a drink on weeknights when I worked IT. I don't have an ounce of energy left after a day of teaching.

Good luck!

ZeroTX, M.Ed.

If you really want to teach and you don't mind going to the states that have teacher shortages, I say go for it. I have disappointing days, but in my 33 or so years I have never regretted going into the teaching field. It doesn't pay well, and you are not always appreciated much, but I still think it is a rewarding profession.