Teaching as a job?

Question

I am a straight A student, A+'s in some. Got no idea what to do when i leave school :( I am thinking maybe a high school teacher, in English and or History. What do you think? Also am interested in Journalism?

Answer 1

become a nurse, teachers are leaving their jobs in droves.

Answer 2

If you're torn between those two careers you don't really have to decide until you're 21. I'd go to uni and do a degree in History and English (joint honours) and then do a PGCE course when you've graduated. If by then you've decided that teaching is not for you, you could do a post graduate course in journalism. If you do go to uni, get involved in journalism off your own initiative - there may by a uni publication that you can contribute to, for example. With both jobs, more important that A grades is an ability to reach out and connect with people. Are your 'people skills' good?

Answer 3

That's a great choice, teaching is a challenging but rewarding career. To be a highschool english or history teacher you have to do a double degree. Bachelor of teaching/ bachelor of Arts. The teaching part is obviously skills to teach, the arts part is where you get to do english and history and learn how to teach those particualr subjects. you can even do both one as a major one as a minor. The bonus is, if you decide you're not into teaching you come out with an arts degree that will also give you basic qualifications in areas of journalism - well particularly if you chose to do english as your major. A good starting place to help you decide on uni courses when you leave school is to go to uni websites and look at the course handbooks - they give you a detailed description of the degree and indivdual courses just have a read through and see what interests you

Answer 4

Well, OK, I've worked for a daily newspaper, and I've worked in schools for several years. I wouldn't say that either career path is for people who do it because they can't think of anything better to do. Both are fields where people tend to work way outside their alleged schedule, and neither one pays folks who are just starting out much to live on.

Journalism is very competitive. You're trying to create a product that will sell, in smaller and smaller spaces (so the publication can sell more advertising). At the same time, your customers aren't really your target audience. You want all the other journalists to know that you "scooped" a story, or that your story is better written than everybody else's. When I worked for a newspaper, I was well paid and people were impressed by what I did for a living, but somehow it was gradually eating away at my soul.

In the United States, folks who go to journalism school don't get to take much outside their major, and there's not a whole lot of respect for what people from other backgrounds bring to the table. In fact, degrees won't help you get a job in journalism, your portfolio--the best examples of your work in the field of journalism--will.

On the other hand, a degree, completion of a teaching program, a certificate, a license, is terribly important in teaching. It's even more important in the US now under the Highly Qualified provisions of the federal law known as No Child Left Behind.

Teaching is much harder than journalism, waiting tables, selling clothes in a department store, door-to-door canvassing, customer service, running a convenience store cash register on the night shift, or any other job I've ever had! Teachers have to make about 500 important decisions every day, and several of them will probably make a kid think you have ruined their life!

The one thing I miss about journalism is the office supply room. Some districts and schools give teachers whatever they request in the way of classroom supplies. Some give them budgets between $250 and $1600 for classroom supplies (the larger budgets tend to include all field trips expenses as well).

But some give absolutely nothing, and teachers have to pay out of their own pocket. I've heard tell of a teacher who plucked the business card of a printer out of a pool of vomit outside a nightclub, so she could call the printer later and beg for copy paper!

I think it's way too early for you decide what you want to do when you leave school. Go to a liberal arts college, major in something you enjoy, spend your twenties working in jobs that are cool  (since you're not going to make much money then, anyway). Go to graduate school when you're 27 and you have some experience of the working world!

If I had it all to do over again, sometimes I think I'd be a sonogram tech, a geologist, or a lawyer. Hmmmmm...

Answer 5

Well it sounds like you have a solid education background.  There is no need to rush your choice making.  Most college freshman either enter school without a clear major or end up switching their major during the first two years.  Take your time, try to select your next school based on their best all-around academics and then go from there.  Clearly, you have a good study skills and academic motivation.  Everything will fall into place.  Good Luck!