Who has quit teaching in their 30s and gone off to successfully do something else?

Hi Flagpole! Another thread set up for you to brag about how awesome you are.

Another casualty speaks the truth. Those programs are a complete joke. Most of the teachers would actually joke about their M. Ed classes, almost everyone has a story about writing a paper about golfing or using a vacation to get some experience credits. If school systems want to pay extra for a masters degree it should be in a subject area, NOT the M. Ed.

I got out of teaching mostly due to the top heavy amount of administration. We had all these people that would come into the classroom, but none of them were "boots on the ground" teachers. I could go to a staff meeting and point out 8-10 people who no one really seemed to know what their job really was.

I got frustrated and bolted within 3 years.

Aren't most of the teachers on here also xc and track coaches? Isn't the coaching aspect the REAL reason they even considered a job as a teacher?

This sounds like my current experience. Finding the next position is tough.

GattaBeDatGuy wrote:

Aren't most of the teachers on here also xc and track coaches? Isn't the coaching aspect the REAL reason they even considered a job as a teacher?

I thought about it, but you run into several issues if you still want to compete at a high level yourself. As a coach, creating a culture of discipline is a hard, time consuming, stressful thing too. Kids do xc and track often because they want an "easy sport". Who wants to coach some whiners who balk at a 6 mile run, or an hour easy run. OMG thats too far, coach is so mean. "8 400s is too many". You can run with the kids sure, thats good for an easy/short run, but if you're starting school at 7, when are you going to get your mileage in for the day? Then because xc isn't important, you have ads who fight you on every invitational you want to run, taking the team to footlocker, etc. After talking to local hs coaches, I realized this wouldn't be something I'd be interested in until I'm old and slow. You have parents who've never run before and freak out that little Sally did 5 miles in practice, thats too far, what are you doing training kids like olympians? Then you get resume padders who want a sport so they can look good for Hopkins or Columbia, but are going to miss 50% of practices for other activities. The European club system is much better than school sponsored sports.

There are a lot of coaches out there with the coaching talent of Joe Newton, who just aren't in an environment where they can create a culture that goes with it.

I confess that yes, I went into it so I could coach XC and track. I wanted a job that kept me close to the sport, but the great irony was that between teaching and coaching I ended up in terrible shape.

i was a new teacher so I was having to get there early and stay late, then the coaching, the traveling to meets... I really had no time to get in any "real" running.

Was a Teacher wrote:

I taught 6 years of high school in public and private. I left at 31 for law school. Now I am a lawyer and considering going back to teaching.

The driving factor for me is that schools are more full of hope and positive energy. Many people I have encountered in the real world are grinding out the days for the paycheck. When I was teaching, I was focused on doing the job, not what I was getting from the job. It makes a huge difference.

Find ways to make your job better as a teacher and stick with it.

Been teaching for 32 years at the elementary level. I am in for that hope and positive energy as well doing the job as you say! Make sure you teach at a school with a supportive administrator. I left one school after 21 years as soon as a new principal was hired, because she was a bully and was making everyone's life miserable. Great job if you want to encourage kids to be the best they can be. Every day is different and full of challenges, however, I never have an extra penny to my name.

LBJ quit teaching and ended up becoming President of the United States by killing JFK. Go for it....the possibilities are unlimited.

There was a thread similar to this one here recently and I wrote that the people I knew who'd switched from teaching at mid career and made comparable or better money all sold stuff; furniture, cars, ice cream, or appliances.

There's government work. If you teach English or social studies you probably could get into editing, reporting, technical writing but there can be a lot of screen staring there. If you teach science or math there must be things a career counselor can aim you towards. I switched into mental health work but I took a pay cut at first.

Later I reincarnated as a college prof teaching psychology. A lot of my grad students were in your boat, i.e., they were teachers who'd had it with classroom time and were trying to switch to something in the schools rather than classroom teaching. The ones I had were mostly looking to become guidance or adjustment counselors. Maybe you can find something like that or maybe administration and stay in the schools but in a different capacity.

Dennis Hastert left teaching for politics at age 39. He rose all of the way to become speaker of the House of Representatives.

Another casualty wrote:

I can only speak for history, but what is being taught as history in most public (and private) should not qualify as history.

History as taught is mostly cultural indoctrination, not "history." Public or private, it really doesn't matter. The average private school hugely over promises.

Just one of the reasons why we went the homeschool route.

Jim Morris was a high school teacher and baseball coach who became a major league pitcher in his 30s.

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Dennis Hastert left teaching for politics at age 39. He rose all of the way to become speaker of the House of Representatives.

And that is not all he did! Probably not a good example to follow!

Here's the fix wrote:

You went to Ivy League to end up teaching English and Special Ed? Ouch.

The misconception is the more educated or better degree make you a good teacher. It doesn't.

Problem fixed.

Misconception is that there is something wrong with being a teacher after graduating from an Ivy League School.

Stick with it. Teaching is a lot like running...good vs bad vs flat periods....but it has much greater rewards than other jobs in the long run. I say you work on your coping skills.

After 4 years of teaching I decided to pursue my dream of medicine and got in on the first try! They were super excited to have a teacher in the program actually.

Coach full time. You have an Ivy education and you needed me to tell you that?

Coach full time. You have an Ivy education and you needed me to tell you that?

I know one guy who joined the Navy. I also have multiple classmates who are in medical school.