Charlie Self wrote:


Every teacher I know has worked somewhere other than in a school.
Every single one. Most kids who go on to become teachers do not come
from wildly priviliged backgrounds, so have to find a way to fund
college.

My wife worked in the "Corporate World" for 13 years, and helped run the
family business for 3 years, a very busy asbestos and lead abatement
contractor, before becoming an elementary school teacher. I paid for
her Elementary Ed. and Spanish degrees as she went.

My wife's best friend at work sold television advertising (commissioned,
not salaried) for ESPN for 8 years before adding his education degree
and becoming an elementary teacher.

A former employee / friend (still G) of mine recently quit the Fortune
50 corporation we worked for to become a high school physics teacher.
He was here for 11 years as an engineer and technician, preceded by 6
years in the Navy as a reactor operator. He did almost his entire
education at night and on weekends. Our state requires (2) Masters
degrees to be a certified teacher. He built up personal savings so he
could quit and do his last year full-time, as student teaching
assignments and some major classes are not available at night.

Both of the men above were single and supported themselves while getting
the education and performing unpaid student teaching assignments.
Neither of them lived with relatives or had a spouse to support them.
All three examples made excellent money in the careers they left.

No "real world" experience there at all... G