<p>Google comes in at #1 among the "most wanted" employers as ranked by undergrads. Perhaps a bigger surprise is that Teach for America outranked Goldman Sachs.</p>
<p>jeez thats amazing... i hear georgia tech sends alot of people to google</p>
<p>Most people come from Stanford, Harvard and MIT.</p>
<p>Wow!! People dish out 150k to attend a prestigious university and end up using their degree to become grade school teachers. Something is wrong with this picture. If a person is capable of getting into Stanford, they can probably get a great scholarship at a state school. IMO, full-ride state school would be the better way to go if you plan on going into teaching (or any other low paying/low competition career).</p>
<p>The students who join Teach for America don't all plan on teaching for the rest of their lives. They recognize the fact that they all received an excellent education and I bet they each had at least one teacher that they found so influential in their own lives. They want to give that back to students in not as wealthy areas who may not receive the best education or have the best role models in their lives.</p>
<p>I don't think it is something you can criticize an Ivy-league graduate for doing, rather you should applaud their desire to have a lasting impact on an underpriviledged student so that maybe one day they will be able to attend a great university.</p>
<p>Well those are my reasons for wanting to be a teacher at least (and I am doing an education certification program at my school- not planning on doing Teach for America). Other students don't know what they want to do immediately after graduation and joining a two year program like Teach for America or the Peace Corps is a way to gain valuable life experience and to help them mold their future goals.</p>
<p>mj93,
Students are accepted to Teach for America in a highly competitive process. They have attended some of the finest colleges and universities in the nation. They are seeking to "give back" to a needy constituency and are willing to teach in highly "needy" areas of this country for two years or so. Some may go on to careers in teaching. Many do not. I know of one HYP grad just finishing up a two year stint who will begin at Yale Law School in the fall. Thank goodness that there are students willing to do this.</p>
<p>the fact that teaching is not considered a worthy occupation indicates something wrong with our school system.</p>
<p>Before I begin, I'd like to say that Harvard's my first choice, and I want to become a teacher. Eventually college, but probably high school for at least awhile.</p>
<p>I think that if a person wants to become a teacher, an Ivy league education (or any other top school), is perfectly worth it. I think that if a person feels that they will get a better education at a top school, being a teacher is not wasting that education, or wasting money to get it. Society should do more, I think, to encourage the best in the population to become teachers. I sometimes am kept up at night wondering if I am good enough to be a teacher; it is a serious occupation, and by no means a fallback. Granted, there is that issue of paying for it on a teacher's salary.</p>
<p>Indeed: "In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else." - Lee Iacocca</p>
<p>And, strange as it may sound to many people here, not everyone is out to make $150k+ a year. The CIA is in the top ten on that list, and it "draws many of the best and brightest, despite the relatively modest pay." And moderately-paying careers are not just stepping stones. Some people are simply driven by things other than money. They should be praised, not mocked.</p>
<p>The Public Sector offers virtually the only defined benefit pensions left in the workforce. Smart students, who can do a discounted cash flow, know that this is an outstanding deal. The government attracts the best and birightest by offering what amounts to the best deferred compensation program in the world.</p>
<p>(And a lot of people, despite what you might hear to the contrary make upwards of $120K per year base pay in the large government agencies.)</p>
<p>Surprised that so many undergraduates are in the Teach for America thingy. Teaching isn't considered worthy by many because it's not exactly lucrative and really requires a lot. I guess it is nice that plenty of students who volunteer their time but (honestly) the programs seems useless for those who won't go on to be educators. Why would a future investment banker (for example) spend time on a volunteer program when he could be getting valuable experience in his field? </p>
<p>-The Volunteering Coot66</p>
<p>i agree with apathy.</p>
<p>in the UK's version of Teach for America, employers really like it because it shows a lot of management skills, as well as people skills. The leadership required to teach/be productive in some of these schools is really quite significant.
Many people from the UK go on to top jobs in banks or consulting firms after graduation.
A career in Investment Banking is not just about getting banking experience, there are a huge number of transferable skills that you can learn doing other things. There are people who have the first half of their career in other forms of finance before they choose the enter the more lucrative finance world later in their careers.</p>
<p><a href="And%20a%20lot%20of%20people,%20despite%20what%20you%20might%20hear%20to%20the%20contrary%20make%20upwards%20of%20$120K%20per%20year%20base%20pay%20in%20the%20large%20government%20agencies.">quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I wouldn't say...a lot. Some. GS-13 or higher isn't exactly that full of people...</p>
<p>"Surprised that so many undergraduates are in the Teach for America thingy. Teaching isn't considered worthy by many because it's not exactly lucrative and really requires a lot. I guess it is nice that plenty of students who volunteer their time but (honestly) the programs seems useless for those who won't go on to be educators. Why would a future investment banker (for example) spend time on a volunteer program when he could be getting valuable experience in his field?</p>
<p>-The Volunteering Coot66"</p>
<p>Same argument for the Peace Corps. Then why do so many graduates of highly selective colleges join it? I have no opinion on it - but the point is, I would much rather have a lawyer with a heart (although i know that is impossible). And as far as medicine goes - that is exactly the commitment to humanity med schools look for.</p>
<p>Yale sends a greater proportion of its graduates on to TFA than any other university in the country, by an enormous margin.</p>
<p>No one is arguing that teaching isn't a good profession for any college graduate. The problem is that if you have some substantial loans, which may well be the case with ivy league grads, teaching may not provide enough to pay off the loans. This is a real problem.</p>
<p>Taxguy, I think you would be hard pressed to find any hint of admiration for a teaching profession in mj93's original post. So yeah I do think some people would say that teaching isn't a good profession- someone like my dad who would want me to become a doctor instead.</p>
<p>torrestowers, don't be discouraged. If teaching is what you want to do, go for it! There is much elitism in this world, and it is extremely evident on this board. As I have said, some people are in this world simply to make as much money as they can before they die, and others are out to make a difference. Teaching is one of the most admirable professions one can go into, and I commend you. Some people cannot seee beyond the $$$$, but those who can are the ones who are most fufilled in life. Good luck!</p>
<p>Aww thanks Pat2323. I didn't mean to sound like Debbie Downer there! My dad has gotten over the fact that I am not going to become a doctor (though I still haven't told him that I am doing secondary education certification instead) and he is really supportive of anything I want to study- I was just trying to point out that there are obviously people who don't think teaching is a worthy profession. </p>
<p>I have never once considered becoming an investment banker or choosing any career field based on its salary and I think it is a shame that the article and people here have pointed out that it would look good on students resumes and that is the reason that they choose to join TFA or whatever the UK equivalent is (T F UK?). Why is it so hard to believe that people just see how wonderful it would be to give back and resume padding only come as an after thought?</p>