Thinking about Teaching
Hi! This is, I think, my first ever Reddit post.
I'm 29 years old, Texas native and I think I'm likely to be stuck in this great big state for the rest of my natural life. With that in mind, I'm thinking of a career path shift. I have my AS in psychology with a focus during my studies on child development. I graduated with that degree at 18 without considering what I was truly passionate about, what I needed to focus on to continue down the path I had chosen at 16, and frankly made poor decisions leading to the disenchantment of furthering my education and ended up working a few odd jobs for a number of years each here and there.
After 11 years and a mental journey over the last few years, trying to find out what I want to do, I've landed on geology or education. My brain has been screaming at me, why not both? With the job market for BS and MS geologists being primarily the oil industry and civil engineering, that line of work may be an option if I'm looking to make bank; but I've seriously considered the more humble and, imo, rewarding option of using a BS in Geology to catapult me into education. I love working with kids and I love sharing my excitement and wonder of natural science with the kiddos I have been blessed to have in my life. My studies will allow me to explore my passion for geology, and it would be sweet as pie if I can carry that passion into the classroom if that remains the path that makes the most sense to me. Granted, I know that middle and high school science isn't all about geology, but natural science as a whole is fascinating and exciting to me. Geology is just a little more so.
I guess the question after all of this is, is there a solid market for science educators in the Texas public school system? I've read that after I obtain my BS there is a way to somewhat fast track my certification to be an educator but further research must be done to figure out the steps needed. My mother, an educator, says that I'll need to go for a separate degree for teaching but I'm not so sure.
I apologize for the length, but appreciate it very much if you get to the end of this and have some insight!