6 Reasons to Consider a Career in Teaching

Every job comes with its advantages. For instance, if you love animals, becoming a veterinarian enables you to help them get and stay healthy. And if it is numbers you're passionate about, entering the accounting field is one way to work with them all day long.

But what about teaching? What are some benefits of entering this field? As it turns out, there are many if you love the idea of working with students in any age bracket. Here are six to consider.

#1 – You will directly impact our future leaders.

How many people can say that, each and every day, they have a direct impact on our future leaders? Not many, but teachers definitely can.

In fact, sitting in a classroom somewhere right now are our nation's future president and vice president. Our local leaders, such as governors, mayors, and city administrators? There sitting in a classroom too.

The only question is this: Will they be sitting in yours? And if so, what can they learn from you to make tomorrow a better world?

#2 – You get to mentor area youth.

When you were in school, did you have a teacher who made an impact on you? Maybe someone who caused you to want to be a teacher yourself or somehow urged you to push yourself in live, to go where you didn't think it was possible?

As a teacher, you are in the perfect position to mentor area youth and provide this type of encouragement to them. To help them be the best versions of themselves possible, to convince them that they, too, have a lot to contribute, and to remind them that you're there to help them figure things out.

#3 – You spend your days sharing what you know and love.

If you've ever had a job where you've had knowledge to share and a passion to share it but didn't get a chance because no one wanted to hear it, then you know how very important this benefit is. In your role as a teacher, not only are you encouraged to share everything you know about a topic you love, but that's your job!

Imagine a career where you get to spend every day giving others the knowledge and skills you've gained over the years in an area that makes your heart sing. Better yet, picture the huge smile on your students' faces when they finally begin to understand how things work and it's all because you took the time. This alone can make teaching a career worth having!

#4 – Lower daycare costs for your family.

Teaching is a great career field if you have children yourself because, once they reach school age, your hours are consistent with theirs. This means less time spent in daycare.

Not that daycare is bad, but it can get fairly expensive, especially if you have more than one child or traditionally work a lot of hours. This means more money in your budget to do whatever it is you want to do, like maybe really enjoy your extended times off.

#5 – You get to make learning fun.

Remember that one teacher you had in school who actually made learning fun? You get to be that teacher, inspiring kids to want to be in school versus potentially going out and making bad decisions for themselves.

While you do have certain parameters to follow as a teaching professional, there is also a bit of leeway as to how you present your lessons. Let your creativity guide you as you help students see that learning doesn't have to be a drag. In fact, if done right, it can actually be a good time!

#6 – The field is growing.

If you're thinking about getting into education, now is a good time because the teaching field is growing right along with national job growth rates (7-8 percent), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This means 116,300 new kindergarten and elementary school teachers will likely be needed before the year 2026. That's in addition to the 47,300 middle school and 76,800 high school teachers that are expected to be hired in that same time frame as well.

But there is one area of teaching that is anticipated to experience explosive growth – post-secondary teaching. The BLS states that the growth rate for this particular sector of educators is 15 percent, a rate that is about double that of normal job growth rates, with 197,800 new jobs anticipated in this area alone in the coming years.

Wherever you want to be in this spectrum of growth, Saint Leo offers a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree that can help get you there. Even if your dreams extend beyond teaching and into educational administration—such as becoming a principal, district administrator, or department chair—an M.Ed. degree can give you the education and skills you need to effectively fill that role.

Yes, teaching is a career path that is full of many perks. And they can be all yours if this is where your passion lies. Your future students are waiting for you to enter the classroom and start preparing them for their future.