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Should you strive for a high paying occupation or what you like to do?

I really want to be a high school teacher, but my mom always tells me how they do not make enough money, and to go for something that pays more like a doctor. I have no interest in being in the medical field or law. What should I do?

#teacher #doctor #career #money

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Ken’s Answer

The most important thing that you must remember is to be true to yourself. Determine which are your strengths and weakness and your personality traits that you want to and need to fit into a career to make it productive and satisfactory for you as an individual. There are too many people trapped in high paying jobs who hate going to work every day. That is no way to live. During my years in Human Resources, College Recruiting, and setting up and running a program to help laid off workers return to work, I have developed the following plan which has helped many.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Mazdak’s Answer

You could do both Rabekka, if your passion is to impact students you can still pursue a high paying job and make it a point to engage the youth while in your profession. We cant tell you which path to take, that ultimately will be your choice but I hope you respect and take to an account what your mother is telling you and think outside the box to check both boxes. Just FYI I used to be an elementary ed major but ended up switching to business because I realized I couldn't live the lifestyle I wanted with the income given in that profession. I have spent time volunteering in several youth organizations and impact youth in my own way while maintaining a job that pays for a life that I enjoy.

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Haley’s Answer

Rabekka, You're not alone in this conversation. Many people disagree with their parents on which direction to take their career. A good way to go about this may be to create a hypothetical long term financial plan (approx 20 years) to show your mom the upfront costs of education and medical degrees and discuss the earning power over time. While doctors, on average, may make more money than teachers, there are also significant upfront costs and time that should be considered before pursuing a career in the medical industry. After you lay out your plan, talk to your mom about the other reasons why she thinks being a doctor would be a good job for you - is it because you communicate well with people and enjoy working for the betterment of others? Those sound like good characteristics for a teacher, too! The most important thing to remember is, in the long term, it will be your job that you have to go to every day, so you should find something that makes you happy.

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Karen’s Answer

Easy answer -- do what you like to do!  If you have tons of money but are unhappy in your career, the $ won't help.  Think about what's important to you and make a plan to live within your means.  Being successful and living a gratified life is usually not about how much you earn.


With every good wish!
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