Admittedly, this 22 ½ year education veteran is a little biased when writing an article about the benefits of a teaching career. There are very few careers where a person can greatly impact the students you work with every day. In administration, we try to remind our staff about this as often as possible. Often the results of our work are not seen instantly. It is better measured over time, in what our students go on to accomplish.
I am sure I am not breaking news in this space, but educators are not in the highest-paid profession. To be successful and stay in this career, you have to have a passion for people and their success…that is one of the main benefits of this career. Our jobs are connected to people and helping them…it is our greater purpose.
Forbes cited a study that found, “When participants in a study felt a greater sense of purpose, they tended to feel more positive emotions—specifically contentment, relaxation, enthusiasm, and joy. And they felt less angry, anxious, sluggish, or sad. They also reported greater satisfaction with life and overall wellbeing.”
The same applies to a teaching career. You are serving a greater purpose than just teaching English, math, a sport, theater, etc. You are serving others and making their lives better. They may not know it yet, but you are!
Education professor, speaker, and writer Todd Whitaker says, “The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day.”
If you are looking for a career where what you do makes a difference every day, welcome to a great profession, but the benefits of this career don’t stop there.
Witnessing Student Growth and Development
Depending on what level of work in education you choose (secondary or primary), you will get the chance to help students grow and develop each year. For example, in the early grades you will get the chance to actually teach students how to read. It is amazing when you see a student learn a skill they will use for the rest of their lives. In secondary education, you may get the chance to help a student learn how to complete a calculus problem, or learn how to draw blood, or weld metal together. You would be directly responsible for the development of the students who are teaching.
Job Security and Stable Income
It was mentioned earlier that teachers are not the highest-paid professionals in the world.
However, from personal experience from family and friends in other businesses (salesman, gas companies, financial world) there is a benefit to the educator’s income. Your yearly earnings are set, and you can with a high amount of confidence know what you will be earning from month to month and year to year.
You will not experience the rollercoaster that some careers do what is earned each month/year.
On a personal note, I have some friends in the gas and oil industry. There are years they earn more than me, and some years they do not. Something can be said for a good, steady, reliable income.
In addition, many states offer solid retirement programs for those who devote their career to education. For example, in Texas, those who complete about thirty years of work will retire with about 70% of their income when they retire.
Although it does not complete the whole picture for retirement, it does provide a good base and some steady income, greater than that of social security.
Creative and Collaborative Environment
Another benefit of teaching is the emphasis it places on growing our people from within.
Because of this, the infrastructure is built for those in the profession to grow and continuously learn. The best way for this to happen is for professionals to share what works and does not work in their classrooms on a regular basis.
The professional learning communities most schools practice help new and veteran teachers to keep getting better every year.
And because of this, those who are inclined to learn all the time fit in well in this profession. No set of students are ever the same, the world in which students are growing up changes often, and how technology impacts the classroom is ever changing. You must be creative to reach students and an ever-changing classroom environment.
School Calendar
Although the summers have shrunk, many enter the teaching profession because of the time off the school calendar provides. Not many professions will allow a person to have a couple of weeks off around Christmas and New Years, a week in the spring, a week or a few days around Thanksgiving, and a couple of months in the summer. This allows those in the profession more family time and chances to travel, which other professions do provide flexibility for.
This definitely helps maintain a work/home balance.
No Two Days Are Ever the Same
I have some friends in accounting. One thing he likes about his job is that each day he will go to work, and he knows how long he will be at his desk, what kind of work will be coming across his desk, and what kind of numbers he will be dealing with. He likes predictability. I, personally, would be bored. In the education world, no two days are ever the same, thus it creates a sense of who knows what can happen from day to day. Even though your classroom may be well run, and your lesson plans are right on track, when you put teenagers in your room each day, you never know what may come out of their mouths or their brains; you will never be bored.
Ultimately, a teaching career provides you with the chance to make a difference every day in the world of students and adults you work with. There are only a few professions where you can impact people every day…this is a career in teaching!
Educators never stop learning; check out our available graduate degree programs to hone your skills and promote lifelong learning and academic excellence.
