Why I Want to Be a Teacher

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My choice to become a teacher was not made lightly. This decision was a culmination of a process of reflection about what I wanted to do with my life following 10 years in the naval service and another 4 years as a defense contractor. I have chosen a career in education because I believe that it is one of the most important functions performed in our culture. Since becoming a substitute teacher, I have come to realize that schools are the perfect institution to influence children on becoming positive and active members of society and I want to be a part of that process. I left a career in defense contracting to pursue a new path in life that would bring greater joy and lasting passion. While certain people can make great money and love the work in the defense industry, I personally found the process vapid, without any sense of reward and accomplishment, and without any real purpose or direction. During conversations with several managers, the hardest question to answer was what I wanted to accomplish in the future of the industry or firm. There was never a sense of passion with the work I was doing. While for most of my time at Booz Allen I enjoyed the people I worked with, I rarely felt the work I was doing mattered or that I made a difference in someone’s life. In the end, for me, it was a job that looks good on paper, paid a good salary and sounds nice in passing conversation but made little difference in anyone’s life or the world in general. I was going nowhere. In 2013 I passed the Project Management Institute’s PMP exam after rigorous studying and a heavy reliance on the combined military and contractor experiences. While a great accomplishment in itself, it did not change the fact that what I needed was a new career and sense of purpose that I have not had since 2005 when I felt as if I was working on behalf of the young sailors at sea. I

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