Any math teachers here?

[Syringer]

I just finished my first year of college..with a major in math and econ. My career goals for post graduation would be something in the actuarial science field..and I definitely want to teach it at a high school level one day whenever I want to settle down and have kids or something--but now I'm considering going into teaching right afer graduation and certificate work.

To me though, teaching just isn't ambitious enough for me..with little room to advance, and it seems unlikely I'll ever be able to seek the finer luxuries of life--though I'm sure the satisfaction level would be greater than with most other jobs.

What I'm wondering then is what kind of job marketability would there be for a teacher, if I do choose to teach out of college and really let my ambition kick in to something higher--or if I decide teaching isn't something for me. I feel if I just choose to teach after college I'll always be thinking to myself what I really could've been.

So basically, being in California I'd definitely be very marketable with the high demand for math teachers for teaching positions..but what sorts of demands would there be one day for math teachers outside of teaching positions?

 

[LivinLaVivaPollo]

Teachers are always in demand, so you almost have a definite job out of college, and job security to boot. I'm not a math teacher though, but my girlfriend is going to graduate next year and teaching is something she is inclined to do. See if your school offers any kind of teacher incentive/advancement program. The school I go to offers a BA in a subject, Masters in Education, and a teaching credential in five years, which I think is a great deal.

It never hurts to teach for a year, and then go to grad school if you don't like it, or vice versa. If you feel that teaching isn't ambitious enough for you, think about all the kids you will impact. If that isn't enough, maybe you should try for a teaching position at a CC, which a masters will serve just fine. Also remember that you can start off as a teacher and then move onto being an administrator.

With a degree in math, you can do a lot of things. Look into being an actuary. They assess risk for insurance companies and get paid relatively well.

 

[Mday]

EWW actuarial work is sooo boring.

 

[Muzzan]

Originally posted by: LivinLaVivaPollo
Teachers are always in demand, so you almost have a definite job out of college, and job security to boot.

Weren't a lot of teachers laid off recently...? I remember reading something about that.

 

[rocadelpunk]

the teaching market is very difficult to get into right now, because so many districts don't have the money and levy's are getting passed, they are laying off teachers left and right. In fact most people who would've thought about going into teaching are staying in school and going for a higher degree simply b/c there are no jobs atm.

 

[DrPizza]

New York state: you HAVE to have a master's degree to teach in high school. You can get a provisional certificate which is good for 5 years... after which you better have your master's degree or you're done.

You can start teaching in high school, teach a few night courses in a community college, and maybe work your way up to a university position. (and, some state universities might consider hiring you to teach classes at night... )

It's hard for me to say anything about the pay a teacher receives.... in so many states, it really wouldn't be worth it, considering the cost of living in those areas.. I turned down several job offers (or more like job beggings --- "please come work for us!") in the Carolinas simply because I couldn't afford to live the way I do here on a teacher's salary. (I can afford a house with 50 acres on my current salary... housing is cheap in this area). If you have a math degree, many employers would see that you must be intelligent and possess good logic skills, making you fairly desireable, even if they don't have an exact fit. You would probably be able to make a lot more working for a company than you would teaching though. Don't let anyone make you think that teaching is an 8 to 3 job either.... wait until you have 120 tests to correct... 120 homework assignments to correct, etc, not to mention write lesson plans, make those tests, etc. Typing math tests is a pain in the a**! But, it pays off in the summer time when you can find a great hobby and relax for 2 months. After all the stresses of preparing 120 kids for final exams who don't care if they pass, (but the school and state care!), you need the time to recuperate!

Good luck!

 

[XZeroII]

Math and science teachers have traditionally always been in high demand because there is such a small suppy of them. A masters in Chemistry will get you a nice high paying job somehwere else, so why settle for teaching (that's the reason for the short supply). Art and music teachers are usually in pretty high supply, thus it is difficult getting into. Things could be different now because of the wierd economy, but if you really want to teach, go for it. It's very rewarding.

 

[Kyteland]

My sister's a math teacher. She said that when she was over in the UK on a vacation that math teachers were in relly high demand. If you ever want to go there.....

 

[Stojakapimp]

AFAIK, math teachers always find it easy to get a job. Schools are practically begging for more math teachers. So job security shouldn't be a problem.

But pay, that's another story...

 

[HokieESM]

Dr. Pizza... sounds like you have some experience with that.

I've taught math... but only to gifted kids in summer programs. Teaching CAN be very rewarding--but very frustrating.

Math teachers tend to be in high demand (at least here in VA).

Oh.... and just a note: the "masters" degree that most states want you to have is an MAT (masters in teaching)... which is a 1 year, no thesis degree. Its a FAR cry from getting a masters in math.

 

[DrPizza]

I think any master's degree will work in NY....
I'm finishing a master's in general education (waste of time... no effort involved, especially compared to undergraduate work in mathematics)
And, this summer, I'm hoping to start my master's degree in physics...

 

[HokieESM]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
I think any master's degree will work in NY....
I'm finishing a master's in general education (waste of time... no effort involved, especially compared to undergraduate work in mathematics)
And, this summer, I'm hoping to start my master's degree in physics...

Yeah.... my sister is in a MEd program... and is bored stiff. She's doing her student teaching right now.

The physic MS will be different, though.... Have some fun. I'm working on my PhD in mechanics... and while interesting, the academia bs is hard to tolerate sometimes (i.e. the lack of respect--you're just a grad student? that means your a peon and have no brain).

 

[LordSnailz]

Originally posted by: Syringer
I just finished my first year of college..with a major in math and econ. My career goals for post graduation would be something in the actuarial science field..and I definitely want to teach it at a high school level one day whenever I want to settle down and have kids or something--but now I'm considering going into teaching right afer graduation and certificate work.

To me though, teaching just isn't ambitious enough for me..with little room to advance, and it seems unlikely I'll ever be able to seek the finer luxuries of life--though I'm sure the satisfaction level would be greater than with most other jobs.

What I'm wondering then is what kind of job marketability would there be for a teacher, if I do choose to teach out of college and really let my ambition kick in to something higher--or if I decide teaching isn't something for me. I feel if I just choose to teach after college I'll always be thinking to myself what I really could've been.

So basically, being in California I'd definitely be very marketable with the high demand for math teachers for teaching positions..but what sorts of demands would there be one day for math teachers outside of teaching positions?

I was in a similar situation ... 6 years ago (wow, that's a long time); It was the 2nd quarter of my freshman in college and I was deciding on majoring in math. I liked teaching and was really good at math, so being a math teacher suited me. But after talking some people and couselors, they sugested to go the EE route and try that out since the job market was a lot better for EE and I could always go to teaching later on in life if I wanted to.

I really happy I went with the EE major, I'm working with a big co., good pay and all but I still plan to go back to teaching eventually ... I guess what I'm trying ot say is to be more ambitious, you can go back to teaching whenever you want.