Good for you for making the change early on! I get the need to leave the field - it's a super tough job if you're doing it right. It's been 20+ years for me, and it just gets harder each year as the parents keep getting crazier, and most of the kids now have the attention span of gnats. (I love technology, but I swear it has rewired their brains, and I think it's a huge contributing factor!) I love my job and the students, but the pay for good hard-working teachers is insulting. I'm in the south, and we generally get short-changed down here.
I taught in WV. Ranked 49th in the US for pay when I was teaching. I met my wife in college so at least it worked out in that regard. She's an elementary art teacher.
Good for you for making the change early on! I get the need to leave the field - it's a super tough job if you're doing it right. It's been 20+ years for me, and it just gets harder each year as the parents keep getting crazier, and most of the kids now have the attention span of gnats. (I love technology, but I swear it has rewired their brains, and I think it's a huge contributing factor!) I love my job and the students, but the pay for good hard-working teachers is insulting. I'm in the south, and we generally get short-changed down here.
I taught in WV. Ranked 49th in the US for pay when I was teaching. I met my wife in college so at least it worked out in that regard. She's an elementary art teacher.