Thread: dilemma

  1. #1
    Registered User axon's Avatar
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    dilemma

    Hey guys, it might seem a bit silly to ask for opinions about your own life from strangers at some internet board; I in turn think that it gives a fresh perspective from many different people which in everyday life I would never have a chance to meet.

    Well, my dilemma is in what I really want to do in life. Currently I'm a junior at UofI majoring in computer science engineering, and I'm really enjoying it. This is what I wanted to do ever since I was introduced to programming in high school. Along with this, "passion", I've always wanted to be a teacher. Not a computer science or a math teacher, but English.

    Almost all of my humanities requirements were spent in the English department or other literature courses. The idea of teaching has always been in my mind, but there was something more behind computer science.

    I would really like to do some sort of secondary education, either high school or university level. This next semester is where I'm planning to make my decision as there is not that much time left, relatively speaking; I don't want to be getting my bachelors in more then 5 years!

    So what do you guys think....and please don't say do what you will love doing, because I love both so far.

    some entropy with that sink? entropysink.com

    there are two cardinal sins from which all others spring: Impatience and Laziness. - franz kafka

  2. #2
    30 Helens Agree neandrake's Avatar
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    Well, from what I remember my HS teachers complaints, they don't pay well. Not sure how hard it is to get a job at a university tho. I keep hearing that computer technology keeps making lots of new jobs, but I'm not so sure of this, especially not with programming.
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  3. #3
    ¡Amo fútbol!
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    Computer= Probably better pay, harder to find job
    Teacher= Guaranteed Job, good benefits, bad pay

  4. #4
    5|-|1+|-|34|) ober's Avatar
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    You can't guarantee a job for a teacher. You may spend months or years substituting before you get a full position. You also can't guarantee great benefits. You will have some, but I would put money on the fact that you could get better benefits as a Computer Scientist.

    If you're a junior in college studying Computer Science, you better make the switch NOW if you're serious about becoming a teacher. There are a lot of classes that you're going to have to take to make the switch. It's almost completely different degrees. I'd be surprised if you can switch and make it out in 5 years. I'd say stick with the Computer Science degree. Get out of school... see if you like it. If not, go back for your teaching degree.

  5. #5
    Registered User axon's Avatar
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    well, I pretty much calculated everythig, and if I did the switch this spring semester I would graduate in time...ie 4.5 years in total. I know that this decission has to be made within the next few weeks, and I've been thinking about it pretty intesively for sometime now. I am leaning towards cs though...and the reasoning behind this is that once I get my masters in cs and (hopefully) get a job, I could always go to school part time to get my secondary education degree, and then maybe I could also teach part time at some community college.....we'll see what the hell happens.

    some entropy with that sink? entropysink.com

    there are two cardinal sins from which all others spring: Impatience and Laziness. - franz kafka

  6. #6
    5|-|1+|-|34|) ober's Avatar
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    I've heard the following and I cannot verify its validity:

    You don't necessarily have to have a teaching certificate to teach courses at a community college. Depending on the classes you want to teach, all you need is field experience (ie. working experience in the field you will be teaching).

    Again, I don't know if that is true, but I hope so because I'd love to teach a few classes someday, maybe when I retire.

  7. #7
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    Here's my opinion on the matter. Right now I'm a senior in comp science and will be graduating this April. I also am having a dillema on whether I want to go on to get my Masters/Phd in comp science or just go straight into the work field. The only reason I would want a graduate degree would be to teach comp science later on. I plan on working as a programmer for a while until I have enough money to be comfortable and then teaching mainly just for fun. I enjoy teaching and helping others so its definitely not about the money for me. So if this sounds like something that could work for you, maybe you'd consider it an option.
    "...the results are undefined, and we all know what "undefined" means: it means it works during development, it works during testing, and it blows up in your most important customers' faces." --Scott Meyers

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