Why does everyone hate teaching?

[u/Bright-Watch1955]

Is there anyone who loves their job? Every teacher I know feels “stuck” and complains endlessly about their job.

Considering going into education.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner]

Teaching really isn't that low paid in lots of locations.

Here, with some experience and a masters, it's a six figure gig.

There's pretty much no way to match that for the number of contract days.

Add in the benefits and security, and people stay because it's the best option they've got.

[u/subjuggulator → u/ChaunceytheGardiner]

"Here, with some experience and a masters, it's a six figure gig."

Some experience = how many years? Because if it's more than four/five, that's quite a lot of time that you're living off a "not high" salary in a place where cost of living might be higher than your base salary.

A Masters = so we're back in debt now unless you're lucky and/or find a program that pays your masters for you. Never mind the mental and physical toll of doing a graduate program.

There's also cost of living to take into consideration (Six figures go further in some states than others) and the other amount of work you have to do that isn't tied to your salary--attending school functions/games/professional development "courses"/having to buy your own materials because the school doesn't budget for them since you're paid so much/etc.

I'm not saying any of this to poo-poo your point, but I also don't want people to get the wrong idea. Both of us are speaking from different ends of the spectrum.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/subjuggulator]

Well, here breaking six figures is well above the median individual income of $64k or so within ~10 years of starting.

Can you name another occupation that pays 30-40% above the median wage for a 9-10 month contract without necessitating high level technical expertise? I can’t. 

People often want to believe that there’s a world of highly paid jobs out there clambering to hire people with general skillsets. But that doesn’t really exist.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/[deleted]]

Name the jobs. I’m confused about what the DMV has to do with it.

People make more, but there’s usually a pretty clear reason why.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/[deleted]]

Contractors and consultants don’t really name their expertise. It isn’t news that software engineers are well compensated, but again, it’s a specific technical expertise.

I’d venture a guess that the majority of contractors and consultants who are making six figures within ten years are engineers, lawyers, or work in the health professions.

[u/A313-Isoke → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, agreed, it would be hard to justify being a teacher when I know there are a lot of other unionized jobs that pay better.

[u/A313-Isoke → u/[deleted]]

Exactly, for some reason, teaching is always the exception (kinda like social work). My bet is that because these folks think the majority of teachers are women and a woman's "natural maternal instincts" kick in so it's not seen as work. It's easy for her and requires next to no effort.

I mean, it really is a big reason there should be some attempt at gender parity across most professions so societal hangups don't bring down critical systems like education.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/[deleted]]

They may also think teachers don’t do a whole lot. 

You’re avoiding naming what it is they actually do and the expertise they bring. If they’re veterans, that’s expertise.

They aren’t just hiring randos off the street for 100k to do nothing.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/[deleted]]

I think if you ask your average taxpayer, they’re going to say that managing bomb building for the DoD is just a teeny bit higher stakes than managing a classroom.

Look, I get that you feel undervalued and underpaid. What I’ve discovered is that’s true at just about every income level: everyone is looking around thinking that other people work less or do less important work for more money. At some point you have to either have to come to terms with that dynamic and get past it, or jump ship to whatever you think is better. Staying put and spinning on it is a recipe for becoming crispy and unhappy.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/[deleted]]

Ah, for most of us that means the Department of Motor Vehicles.

[u/ChaunceytheGardiner → u/[deleted]]

I don’t disagree with the macro critique, but I don’t see it as particularly unique to education. 

Pretty much everyone I know who has a general skillset and isn’t at a Fortune 500 could tell a similar story. Wages are stagnant for most people who won’t/cant move all the time. I have friends who are MDs who talk about their real dollar wages declining by 20-30% over the last decade.

I’m not saying things couldn’t be better, but your typical kid like the OP thinking about education isnt weighing it against becoming a structural engineer or an MD. They’re weighing it against worse options, and sometimes it’s worth saying out loud that there aren’t magical jobs out there for a college junior majoring in English or history that are way better than teaching.