Top Reasons to Pursue a Teaching Career

If you’ve ever considered pursuing a career in teaching, you may be drawn to the many opportunities it offers to increase students’ knowledge and prepare them for the next stage of their education. But being a teacher delivers other benefits, each offering unique opportunities to fulfill your personal and professional goals. Discover everything you stand to gain from choosing a teaching career and the steps you can take to get started.

Advantages of Pursuing a Teaching Career

Being a teacher today isn’t easy. Job-related stress, the need to play catch-up after COVID-19 and remote learning, and ever-changing teaching standards have taken their toll on many teachers. But despite these challenges, many teachers remain as committed as ever to their profession. In a recent EdWeek Research Center, two-thirds of teachers said they were satisfied in their jobs, with another 20 percent saying they were very satisfied.

No profession is perfect, but you may find that teaching delivers many of the benefits most important to you in a career. Consider the following advantages of teaching to determine if it’s the best career for you:

A Lasting Impact on Students 

Teachers have many opportunities to inspire students and make lasting impressions on future generations. It’s not just about teaching the required curriculum; great teachers also share personal insights that help young people with a broad spectrum of challenges, from managing stress to communicating effectively to resolving conflicts with others.

Job Stability and Security

There are many opportunities for qualified K-12 teachers to backfill those who are retiring or leaving for other reasons. In fact, school demand often exceeds the supply of qualified teachers. During the 2022–23 school year, nearly half of public schools (45 percent) reported one or more vacancies at the start of the school year. The plentiful supply of open positions offers stability and an opportunity to choose the school and role that suit your preferences for location, size, and the subject you teach.

Diverse Career Paths

Teaching is a transferable skill you can take with you just about anywhere. Whether you’re teaching elementary students core school subjects or specializing at the high school level, there are several career paths you can explore in public, private, and religious school settings.

Here are just a few options you can pursue in your teaching career:

• Elementary, middle school, or high school teacher
• Intervention specialist
• Special educator
• International teacher
• Online teacher

Frequent Variety 

In teaching, no two days are quite the same. One day, you’ll cover several concepts and help students see the bigger picture offered by the curriculum. Another day, you may drill deeper into a single concept to help students form their own opinions and conclusions. On top of all that, no class of students is the same, and each learner comes with different capabilities, challenges, and interests. With this variety, it’s hard to get bored!

Professional Growth and Learning

It’s not uncommon to hear teachers say they learn as much from their students as the students learn from them. Being a teacher keeps you intellectually engaged with modern topics and questions, allowing you to keep learning and enhancing your teaching skills. Additionally, many teachers receive formal training and development on the job, providing the continuous learning hours they need for state teaching license renewal. 

Ongoing Fulfillment

In a busy school environment, teachers face many day-to-day challenges. However, they are rewarded in ways few other professionals can claim. Many educators know the joy of helping students overcome learning obstacles and find the motivation to succeed in school. They watch as students learn new skills and discover their passions. As each class moves to the next stage in their educational journey, teachers walk away with positive memories and the satisfaction of knowing they made a difference in the lives of so many students.

How to Start a Teaching Career

If teaching is your dream job, there are some initial steps you can take to get closer to applying for your teaching license and joining this challenging profession. First, you need to acquire the knowledge and skills to become a teacher. Depending on your current education level, you’ll have the option of pursuing an undergraduate or graduate program in teaching.

At MVNU Online, you can choose between multiple degree programs, each offering a unique path to Ohio teaching licensure. Designed for adult learners, each program offers flexible online coursework and the ability to start classes when it works for you. As a result, you can pursue your degree while you continue to work and manage other responsibilities.

Here are the options MVNU Online offers to help you get started on the road to building your teaching career:

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Elementary Education

Accredited by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, this degree program provides comprehensive teaching knowledge and skills. Through online coursework, education field placements, and 12+ weeks of student-teaching experiences, you’ll gain practical skills in lesson planning, classroom management, subject-area teaching, and much more. Upon graduation, you’ll be qualified to pursue your Ohio teaching license in grades pre-K through fifth grade.

Master of Arts in Education (M.A.Ed)

In this challenging master’s program, you’ll complete program requirements in the online classroom and the field. This combination of hands-on experience and theoretical instruction will prepare you to earn one of three Ohio teaching licenses for pre-K through 12th grade. The degree program offers three distinct pathways: 

• Professional Educator’s License (PEL): This prepares students to pursue a teaching license in one of 11 subject areas. 
• Intervention Specialist – Initial License (ISM): This is for students who are new to teaching and have an interest in working with students with disabilities.
• Intervention Specialist – Full License (ISP): This is for teachers who already hold a license but want to expand their credentials and work with students with disabilities.

Begin Your Teaching Career with MVNU Online

Although teaching comes with challenges, it offers many opportunities to build a career full of variety, skill development, and stability. Along with the personal and professional fulfillment you can gain as a teacher, you’ll also have the opportunity to help students learn more about themselves and the world around them.

If you think a career in teaching is right for you, consider MVNU Online. No matter where you are in your educational journey—even if you’ve already started a career in another field—it’s possible to pursue a degree in education and obtain your teaching license. To learn more about the education degree options MVNU Online offers, read our guide, Which Education Program Is Right for Me?