Is teaching still a realistic option for me?
Graduating with a teaching degree while facing social anxiety and a lack of job offers makes the entire career path feel heavy and discouraging. This lack of experience and confidence leaves new graduates unsure whether to keep trying or to walk away and figure out a completely different direction.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Working other jobs that require less mental effort
- 2switching to a different major or career path such as healthcare or dentistry
- 3Pushing through the lack of formal training
- 4Comparing performance to veteran teachers
- 5Relying on personal stamina and ongoing learning
- 6considering returning to a previous employer
- 7attempting to automate repetitive tasks with software
- 8taking a holiday to reflect
- 9Considering switching to alternative majors like architecture, paralegal, vet tech, or finance despite market concerns
- 10Planning to take financial accounting a different semester
- 11Evaluating personal interests and strengths to find a less miserable career path
- 12Evaluating whether the position is full-time or part-time/adjunct
- 13Taking the job anyway to build resume experience
- 14Seeking advice from experienced professionals on career mobility
- 15continuing the job search in the original field
- 16considering alternative certification routes for teaching
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I keep comparing myself to the other teachers and thinking, “Would I be cut out for this like they are? Should I pursue this career, or will I struggle too much?””source ↗
“Like, did you heavily question if you made the right career choice but eventually feel confident?”source ↗
“I am SO tempted to take the next steps toward becoming a teacher, I THINK I’d be able to overcome self-doubt, I just keep second guessing.”source ↗
“Some part of me do regret leaving Big4 a little too early because I felt like if I stayed longer maybe better opportunities will arise and also because I have actual friends there too.”source ↗
“I guess I am just a little lost - I am unable to explore jobs without employers questioning job hopping (I understand that is a valid concern).”source ↗
“I feel like i'm not meant to be a techer”source ↗
“I don't feel confident to pursue teaching.”source ↗
“My classmates have a lot of experience and i can't seem to find a job where they accept me with my little experience.”source ↗
“I'm highly introverted and somehow socially anxious so this path sometimes feels really heavy to follow.”source ↗
“I still have my videos and believe I completed part of the TPAs, but I am not sure how to finish the remaining requirements.”source ↗
“I left teaching unsure of what direction to take next.”source ↗
“I honestly do not know how to get out of the situation I am in now.”source ↗
“I know I have a Master’s degree, but right now I feel overwhelmed and unsure how to use it.”source ↗
“Is teaching still a realistic option for me, or do I need to move on from it?”source ↗
“I, F22, recently graduated with a degree in Fashion Design & Merchandising, and I’m feeling extremely conflicted about what I should do with my career.”source ↗
“The problem is that the fashion job search has been really discouraging.”source ↗
“I’m struggling because these are two completely different lives, and I don’t know which one I actually want.”source ↗
“I’m feeling very lost right now and would really appreciate some honest perspectives.”source ↗
“I’m a sophomore accounting major and from the posts i’ve seen on this subreddit and others, I feel that it may not be a career worth pursuing.”source ↗
“The thing that’s been scaring me the most are the mass layoffs I’ve seen people talking about on here.”source ↗
“What’s the point of working hard in college toward a career where even if I build a stable foundation in a job, get promoted, and make more money, I could still get kicked to the curb?”source ↗
“In short, I had a mental breakdown and I'm not mentally well enough to continue with this financial accounting class.”source ↗
“I'm so scared of how rigorous this course is and how the concepts keep building on each other and Im just getting behind on the material because of my mental health.”source ↗
“However I'm hesitant and frustrated because accounting seems to be the only good major, the other majors I want to pursue are either not in demand or the job market is shit.”source ↗
“Something that has been playing on my mind is the idea that taking this job would "lock me in" to the teaching profession and make it harder to get a job doing something else if I realise it's not for me.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Am I too unstable mentally to be a teacher?
- 10Why do I keep second-guessing my certification exam answers?
- 13Switching from audit to tax in accounting
- 6Is it normal to doubt yourself during your first year teaching?
- 6Can I get an accounting job with an unrelated degree?
- 4Is it a dumb idea to quit your job in this economy?