[Share] Why you chose your Uni/Career path?

[anna.xo]

I don't know if I qualify to answer that question since I'm not doing teaching, but I'll try anyway.

Teaching was something I really started to to think about in year 11, or maybe year 12. I don't really remember tbh, it was a, long time ago now. I knew that I didn't want to get straight into teaching. I wanted some sort of industry experience, but I didn't really know what industry to go into. I considered psych, mostly because I loved it at school and it just seemed like something I knew I could be good at but that didn't eventuate (way too long to go into here). I never had any real intention of going into nutrition, but now that I'm in this field, I'd really like to make it as a dietitian.

Since I left school I've been teaching under various circumstances, and it just sort of made me realize that teaching really is what I love, I'm good at it and I enjoy it a lot. I did this because I wanted to know whether I would be able to hack it in that field.

I'm going to finish my undergrad next year, and I want to qualify as a dietitian and hopefully practice for sometime before I get into teaching. But I know that teaching is truly where I want to be, and I know it's where I'll end up.

[qazser]

I don't know if I qualify to answer that question since I'm not doing teaching, but I'll try anyway.

Teaching was something I really started to to think about in year 11, or maybe year 12. I don't really remember tbh, it was a, long time ago now. I knew that I didn't want to get straight into teaching. I wanted some sort of industry experience, but I didn't really know what industry to go into. I considered psych, mostly because I loved it at school and it just seemed like something I knew I could be good at but that didn't eventuate (way too long to go into here). I never had any real intention of going into nutrition, but now that I'm in this field, I'd really like to make it as a dietitian.

Since I left school I've been teaching under various circumstances, and it just sort of made me realize that teaching really is what I love, I'm good at it and I enjoy it a lot. I did this because I wanted to know whether I would be able to hack it in that field.

I'm going to finish my undergrad next year, and I want to qualify as a dietitian and hopefully practice for sometime before I get into teaching. But I know that teaching is truly where I want to be, and I know it's where I'll end up.

Thanks Anna.xo for sharing

[Aaron]

I guess primarily if teaching and the like was always the end goal - or always in mind, at least - or whether it sort of just organically developed over time. Or any other path to get there.

So i've already given my opinion about my education career path so I guess i'm not going to totally repeat what i've said, but:

Was it always the end goal?
Yes - education is something that i've always wanted to be apart of. I get really angry when people say they will do education 'after they've experienced another field'.. to me that just says they view teaching as a fallback option after they've squeezed the life out of their 1st preference. Some would argue that's a good thing, because of the life experience they bring... i don't see it that way. To me, you either want to be a teacher, or you don't. It's such a delicate field and you should want to be there for the kids (not for monetary, fallback or selfish reasons).

I've always been *that* person who people go to for help, so naturally I started to become accustomed to the whole 'helping' thing. There was a moment in Year 9 web development where I started to work with this peer in my class who had special needs and at the end of the semester, the integration aide responsible for him gave me a box of chocolates and said thank you. I'll never forget that moment. I bet everyone is sick of me talking about the whole tutoring thing at uni level, but it really did reaffirm my commitment to teaching. I had honours offers, guaranteed tutoring for the next year and so on and in the end chose to reject all of them to start fresh at Monash in a MTeach.

Path to 'get there'
I took the postgraduate pathway - so I did my 3 years in IT and now currently doing my masters (given this is going to be the new norm in a few years time). I personally don't approve of the BEd structure at the moment - I think teachers need that base knowledge in their area and some sort of age progression before even stepping foot in a classroom.. I can't imagine myself on placement at 18 years of age, but people do it... so.

I'll save the rest for my AMA (whenever that happens.... )