What to do after teaching? There are careers to pursue when you leave the class
Teachers are entrusted with one of the more demanding, and yet fulfilling, jobs imaginable: educating our youth. But there comes a moment for every educator when it is time to set aside the classroom assignments and move on to something new…something different. After all, the demands made on teachers often result in early burn out.
Luckily, the skills that you learned as a teacher can translate well into many new professions, such as these.
Author
Educators always seem to have the most colorful anecdotes from their days spent teaching. Make the most of those tales by letting your muse (a/k/a the “Fiction Fairy”) help you weave the wit and woe that you encountered into powerful prose. As a teacher, you taught sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. You encouraged your students to brain storm and take risks and be creative! Now you can build on those lessons as you craft a novel, or short story, or blog that celebrates those years at the black board, the people you met, and the lessons you learned.
Entrepreneur
As a teacher, you learned to work within your (deplorably tight) budget, how to ask for help, how to get creative, and how to inspire others. You learned how to make a plan and stick to it. (Okay, so that was a lesson plan, but the general idea is the same!) Now you can take the time put those skills to good use in your own business venture. You fostered the dreams of so many others over the years; now it is time to invest in your own dream.
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Stay-at-Home Mom
You spent years helping to shape others’ children into well-read, respectful citizens. Now you can turn your attention to building your own family, and you can instill those same values in your own child. No more missed moments or paying for daycare, now you can focus on just your child. The only down side is that, should they misbehave, you can’t simply send them to the principal’s office.
Photographer
Educators have a front row seat to all of life’s moments of magic, and a new career as a photographer allows you to capture those moments and preserve them for posterity. As a former teacher, you can make a special effort to commemorate the Back-to-School season with photos that reflect the dreams and possibilities of a new year. Photography is one of the few professions that have the power to still, if even for a moment, the passing of time.
Yoga Instructor
After so many years being twisted and pulled in every direction to try to cope with restless children, anxious parents, and overworked administrators, take time to enjoy the gentle stretches and mindful meditations of yoga. As rewarding as teaching was, it is rarely described as soothing or relaxing…and maybe it is time to refocus your energy on something that can provide some serenity as well as satisfaction.
Police Officer
With schools battling to keep drugs, weapons, and violence out of schools, former teachers who wish to continue the good fight on a new battlefield might consider a career in law enforcement. Police officers, like teachers, have the opportunity to shape impressionable youth, to try to keep them safe and, if they are really lucky, to make a difference in young lives.
Become a Student Again
It could be that you actually don’t need to get out of the classroom…perhaps you merely need to get on the other side of the desk! Consider going back to school to get a new degree before you start out on a new career path. Take time to study new prospects, to explore new ideas, and to find your passion while you redefine your goals.
Resources:
Forbes, High Teacher Turnover Rates a Big Problem for America’s Public Schools