3 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late to Become a Teacher
It’s never too late to be what you might have been. — George Elliot
There is nothing more liberating than remembering how much power you have to change your life. We forget that sometimes, wrapped up in a fog of responsibilities and repairs and emergencies and meetings and planning and whatever-the-next-thing-is-today. We forget that, in spite of everything we have piled into our daily lives, change is possible.
Many of our candidates have come to us over the years, after working in other industries, and said some version of this:
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher…but I didn’t get a degree in education. I can’t afford to go back to school; I don’t have the [time/money/transportation/childcare/resources] to get another degree. But I’ve worked in X industry for years. That’s got to count for something. I think I could be good at this.”
We hear this from So. Many. People.
There are tens of thousands of people with experience, common sense and a calling to teach that are driven to reach out and find a way to work in education. We think it’s never to late to shift into a career as a teacher. (We are a bit biased, since we were created by the Department of Education to help people do just that.) Check out these three reasons it’s never too late to become a teacher.
Teachers are Happy with their Career Choice- Here’s Why
3 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late to Become a Teacher
1. Your life experience will always serve you well in the classroom.
You know how much you’ve grown, personally and professionally, as you moved through those first post-college years. Odds are, you bring a wealth of practical knowledge to anything you do now. Principals appreciate that- a lot. Whatever industry you’ve been working in, you’ve got life experience now, and that translates well into the classroom. You might be more ready for the challenge of teaching now than in your early 20s.
2. There will always be teaching jobs…everywhere.
No matter where you move, there will be schools. There will be teaching jobs. It’s one of the ONLY careers that you can say that about. That, and doctors. But tiny humans learning to read and spell and calculate will be similar no matter where you go. If you like the idea of job security, we highly suggest looking into our online teacher certification program. If not, may we suggest an art history degree?
3. You’ll likely regret not doing it.
Anyone who has taught can tell you stories about their favorite student. Or lesson. Or grade. Getting up every day and working in a career that helps people is inherently energizing. There are parts of teaching that are hard- but if you ask a teacher, they are quick to say that their students make the difficult days worthwhile. Have you ever been able to say that about your current job? Do you make enough of a difference that your Monday morning staff meeting is worth sitting through? If teaching is something you’ve wanted to try, if you suspect you’d be a great teacher, then NOT trying and never knowing how much you might have made a difference would be the worse option.
If you have been thinking about making a change, don’t let age or obligations stop you. There is a continuing need for teachers in our schools, and you could complete our program in less than one year and be in your own classroom by next Fall! (You knew we were going to pitch our program in here somewhere.) But even if our program isn’t the right fit for you, take a look at your options. The bottom line is that you don’t have to stay stuck in a job you don’t like.
