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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am a lawyer and have worked in law firms (mostly corporate with some litigation) my entire career -- since my mid-20s. I'm looking for a career change.

I have always loved teaching. I volunteer for mentorship and training because I really enjoy it and I think it plays well to my skills. I am good at breaking down complex topics and explaining them and I'm also a highly empathetic person who likes talking to and relating to people. I get to do some of this in my work but less than I'd like -- so much of lawyering is reading and writing in a solitary environment and most of my clients are long-established so they aren't looking for me to explain things to them. I'm in the "maintenance" phase of my legal career and I'm bored.

It occurred to me that I think I might really love teaching government or civics classes at the high school level. I could see maybe also teaching at the college or law school level but to be honest it doesn't excite me as much because I'd likely be teaching something much more narrow i those environments. But the idea of teaching teenagers how our government and legal systems work sounds invigorating to me. I also really like kids in general -- I'm a parent and have always loved chaperoning field trips and talking to my kids' friends about the world. I like the perspective kids bring to subjects like politics and policy. They often approach them in a very pure way of needing things to make sense and be logical and they tend to have an untainted sense of justice and right and wrong that is refreshing to a middle aged attorney.

But I know teaching is a tough job and not for the faint of heart especially at the secondary school level. Anyone have thoughts or advice on what this career shift would look like (including getting certifications and actually applying for jobs) and whether I'm being overly optimistic about this as a potential career shift.

I know that financially it would be fine. Obviously it would be a big pay cut for me but we are at a place financially where I could probably retire if I wanted to. But I'm not even 50 and actually like having a job. I just don't think I want my current job anymore.[/quote]

My kids favorite teachers were mid-career switchers like you!  There because they choose to be there later (not because they are stuck mid-career).  Go for it, just know what you are getting into, as teaching as a career is a bit of a mess right now[/quote]

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