16-Year-Old Asks Teachers If They'd Recommend Working In Education
Our society needs to give teachers the support they deserve.
Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock It’s no secret that being a teacher is a tough job, one that seems to have grown exponentially more difficult to navigate in recent years. Most of those who become teachers do so because they love it, yet their passion often isn’t rewarded as it should be.
One high school student who is considering teaching as a potential career asked the r/teaching subreddit for guidance, wondering if education was right for him.
The 16-year-old asked teachers if they would recommend working in education.
“I'm considering going to school to become a teacher because it has always been appealing to me,” he wrote. “However, it pays significantly less than a couple of other fields I'm considering and I have heard that it's a really bad job in recent years. Is this true or are people overreacting?”
Photo: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock
Most teachers on the Reddit thread responded with a resounding 'no,' advising the student to pick another career.
“Not in the U.S., no,” one person commented. “Things are very much in flux and it’s unclear what the landscape will look like.”
“No,” echoed someone else. “20 years ago I would have said maybe, if you don't mind being underpaid and overworked. Now? Hard no because there are many more problems, and they're all the teachers' fault.”
“I’m in student teaching, and will finally obtain my bachelors in May,” another user shared. “If I could start over and choose something else, I absolutely would. Teachers are 100% overworked and underpaid … Really think this through. If I was you, I wouldn’t go into education at all.”
A survey from the National Education Association found that 55% of people working in education plan to leave the field earlier than they originally planned to.
The NEA cited data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which showed that 10.6 million educators were working in the public education field in January 2020, yet by 2022, there were only 10 million, totaling a loss of 600,000 people.
According to the survey, 90% of educators reported that burnout was a serious problem. They shared the changes they wanted to see to make the job worthwhile: Higher salaries, additional mental support for students, and hiring more staff.
Yet not all teachers responded negatively to the student's post. Some revealed how much their careers have meant to them.
“As a teacher for over 25 years, one of the things I really like is that it’s a job where you feel like you’re making a difference (most of the time),” one teacher commented. They explained that wages appear to be getting better, as it “seems like states are finally realizing that they’re going to have to pay teachers a living wage if they want to retain them.”
“It has its fair share of challenges but they rarely have to do with the kids. It’s the red tape, other staff members, and some parents,” they added.
The student shared an update on his career trajectory in the comments.
"Teaching is looking slightly unlikely for me," he wrote. "Hard to justify going into a career that pays much less than the career I'm currently most likely to choose (Cybersecurity) when 99% of people are telling me to run away from the teaching field.”
One teacher seemed to influence his stance by offering the following advice: “At the end of the day, do you. Teaching isn’t going anywhere and you can make fat stacks in Security and then retire at 45 and teach if you want.”
The boy responded, noting, “Going into Cybersecurity, making my money, and then teaching sounds like a great idea. After working in the field for decades, I could even teach that… Thanks for the honest advice.”
It’s disheartening to know that so many people working in education wouldn’t make the same decision to do so now. The state of distress that so many teachers find themselves in is a clear message that major changes must be made to support them and future generations, as well.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.