<p>I am a sophomore in college and my first year i studied engineering but realized that i would be miserable. Now i am majoring in history education cause i think i will like that. The problem is that i want to make money and there is no room for advancement it teaching. The thing is nothing catches my eye as interesting or something i can see myself doing my whole life. The only thing i find my self being able to do willingly is playing poker and learning new things about it. Any thoughts on what i should do. Thanks!</p>
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<p>no room for advancement it teaching</p>
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<p>You're kidding right? Depending on your location (and you can always move) secondary school teaching is one of the last great secure and steady jobs left.</p>
<p>You may well start out in the $35K range, but with experience, additional certifications, and advanced degrees (accumulated through summer study and often paid for by your school district) you can end up in the $100K range. </p>
<p>You can work almost anywhere you wish, your summers tend to be your own, and as long as you can handle the politics and the kid's attitudes, you'll have a steady job.</p>
<p>woah woah...I'm gonna have to inquire about this last post...teachers can make $100,000+ how and where is this possible? I've never heard of such a thing.</p>
<p>Absolutely - that was the case in both of my son's high school districts: Barrington, IL and Lower Merion, PA. </p>
<p>Just Google "teacher pay scale". Here's White Plains, NY:</p>
<p>Teacher</a> Pay Scale - White Plains, NY JD2718</p>
<p>You hit $100K with 14 years and an MA.</p>
<p>^^That's definitely the exception, not the rule.</p>
<p>Teachers can only hit six figures in salary if a) they have a graduate degree (MA, PhD), b) they teach in a wealthy school district or live in a geography with a high standard of living such as NYC, c) they have over 15 years of teaching experience and d) switch into administration where they become a principal, assistant principal or (assistant) superintendent</p>
<p>It is true that in many of the places they are needed most, teachers are woefully underpaid. Nevertheless, there are a surprisingly large number of places where teachers can hit $100K - essentially any suburban district within commuting distance of a major city. </p>
<p>To save you the trouble of googling here is an index of teachers salaries:</p>
<p>Index</a> of /teacher-salary</p>
<p>Note that these are averages - the better districts tend to have better salaries simply because they 1) have more money, 2) have more demanding parents, 3) have a higher COL.</p>
<p>Thanks for that link, William. I was wondering if I was just misinformed, but this verifies that I'm at least right about my state (Oregon): the highest salary listed was $62,534. Average was in the early $40,000s. Some states were even worse off, including California, the state I may end up in.</p>
<p>Looks like Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont are the best bets.</p>
<p>I didn't see many salaries that looked like they were averaged from data with any significant chunk of over-100Ks. So I still stand by my statement that it is the exception, NOT the rule.</p>