Teaching is the kind of profession that appeals to many people from all different kinds of backgrounds, educational levels, and passions. There is just something about the idea of being able to help young people, shape their minds, and become an inspiration to them that sounds wonderful. For many people, teaching really is the best job that they could have chosen. In fact, teaching could be the best career choice for you too.
Of course, before making an important decision about what you want to do in life and taking the necessary steps to get there, it’s crucial you understand exactly what that all means and what you would really need to do. This is just the same in teaching as anything else. With that in mind, here are some of the reasons why teaching could be the best career choice for you and why you need to research the idea long and hard before getting started.
Job Satisfaction
It’s so important to be happy in your job. The issue is that this is only evident after you have already started in a lot of cases. You’ll educate yourself, you’ll get a job, you’ll start working, and then you’ll realize you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. You can either continue with what you are doing or change jobs, and the latter idea is a much better one than sticking with something you really don’t like. If you work in a job you don’t like and that doesn’t offer you any job satisfaction, you’ll find that every other aspect of your life takes on a negative air, from your hobbies to your relationships.
If you decide that teaching is the right option for you in terms of a job, you will likely have great job satisfaction to go along with it. Studies have shown that teachers have one of the highest levels of job satisfaction, with ninety percent of them saying they are satisfied or very satisfied with their work.
Job Security
The job market is a volatile one these days. There are a number of reasons for this. One reason is that there is a lot more freedom to change jobs if you want to – if you find you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’s easier than ever to find something new to do, even if that means further study. Secondly, automation is changing the world of work, and it means that some jobs are no longer required. If a place where you’re working becomes more automated, you might find you no longer have a job.
All of this – and more, including the economy – means that job security isn’t always easy to come by. Even if you love your job and you’re doing well at it, if the company you’re working for runs out of money or the owner is able to save money by automating the processes you work on, that job might disappear.
Teaching is not like this. The world will always need teachers, and no matter what age group you want to teach or what subject you are most passionate about, you’ll find that, once you have a job, as long as you are good at what you do, it should be yours until you choose to leave or retire.
Something else that makes teaching such a long-term job is the career advancement opportunities you can find within it. There is always room to move on and up, especially when you consider taking an MA education online to enhance your skills. No matter where you want to end up, teaching will help you get there.
Meaningful Work
Some jobs are not meaningful. You go to work, do what is asked of you, and you might feel that nothing would be different if you hadn’t done it. This can become frustrating and could even cause mental health issues such as depression and stress. Teaching is the kind of profession where the difference will really be felt if it’s not done. Teaching is essential; without education, nothing would be done as no one would have the skills. The economy would be much worse, businesses would fail more frequently, and role models would be much harder to find. It’s easy to see that teaching is meaningful work that makes a real difference in the world.
If you are looking for the kind of profession that you can be proud of, teaching has to be on the list. Think back to a teacher you admired; what difference did they make in your life? They probably had a big influence on you, and you’ll be able to do the same for many other people in the future.
Transferable Skills
When you study teaching, you’re not just studying that particular subject. Although the main focus of your college course will be about education, how to teach, and the curriculum, you’ll pick up a lot more than that over the time of your study, and it is these additional skills that help to make teaching such a valuable and important choice for many people.
Examples of the kinds of things you will learn include understanding other people’s perspectives, research skills, looking into issues affecting children today, learning how to be a good leader (all teachers have to be able to lead and inspire confidence, after all), and so on. These skills can be used in any area of your work or your life in general, helping you make the most out of every opportunity presented to you.
Retirement Benefits
As we’ve said, one of the great reasons why teaching is an ideal career for many people is job security. This security remains even after you retire because teachers receive a number of retirement benefits. How much you will receive will depend on how long you were a teacher and how much you earned during that time, but in essence, you can rest assured that you will receive a good retirement income. After all your years of hard work, dedication, and service, it’s a reward that is well deserved.
