Originally Posted by
Machka
If I were offering advice to high school students today, I'd advise them to do what I did ... get a skill, or two, or three. Go to technical or business colleges first. Learn something that will allow you to get out there and get a good job.
Then, if you're so inclined ... go to University to get the degree. The piece of paper looks nice hanging in your office, may put you into a slightly higher wage bracket, and might possibly open a few other doors for you.
If you want teaching as a fallback in the US and are technical enough to handle math or science coursework, it is better to take a bachelor's degree in math or science, and get a teaching certificate. Take the first two years to get an associate's degree at a community college, and finish the degree in your state's university system. If you take a chemistry degree, it is also wise to get certified as a pharmacist.
Works out to about the same amount of education time, or even rather less, but the jobs pay rather higher, and the location flexibility is much greater. There is a perpetual shortage of teachers who are qualified to teach math or science up to the high school level, so it is foolish not to qualify for it if you have the brains to do it.