IT Public Education: Underrated

[Cole Tarbet]

After working in public school IT as a one-man support department I recommend that you consider it. I'm surrounded by people who truly appreciate the simple applications I produce on demand for their specific needs and I can go home knowing that I assisted in educating children. The pay may not be so high, but the benefits are great, the atmosphere is friendly and casual, and there are lots of jobs being created by Big Data and the need for teacher accountability. If you are able to do database or programming work as well as teach high school students then you are almost guaranteed a job since there is are so many groups pushing high school STEM opportunities.

Leave the unstable cutthroat software development industry and come make a difference in the real world.

-Cole

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Cole,
Where I live, one needs a degree in education to teach. One can still mentor students without being a teacher. (This is also a nice way for an IT professional to find out if he/she enjoys working with students.)

[Cole Tarbet]

That's true. I'm part of the vocational-technical state program which required me to take 12 credits to teach. Compared to IT courses, those 12 credits flew by. I think most states have similar programs - called professional-technical or vocational or career and technical education, etc.