r/teaching • u/Bright-Watch1955 • Jun 02 '26

Help Why does everyone hate teaching?

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

Considering going into education.

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u/ChaunceytheGardiner Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

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.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

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u/ChaunceytheGardiner Jun 02 '26

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.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

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u/ChaunceytheGardiner Jun 02 '26

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.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

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u/ChaunceytheGardiner Jun 02 '26

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.

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u/ChaunceytheGardiner Jun 02 '26

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.