A classroom filled with kids is a far cry from the hallways of Procter & Gamble. But that's where people like Lisa, a former project manager with nearly 20 years experience at P&G wants to be. For now though, she's given up trying.

Lisa and many other professionals want to become teachers for their second career. Schools and students could certainly benefit from someone like her. She has loads of experience advising, writing, creating and implementing project plans, researching and training. Education is also close to her heart, having spent hundreds of hours researching the right schools for her own children.

But after spending as many hours researching what it would take to become a teacher, she's moving on.

"As an experienced business person I was very surprised to learn how hard it was to become a teacher in Ohio," she told me while we explored her next career.

"I would need 30 credit hours in teaching on top of the credit hours for the course work in the subject area I wanted to teach in. I did not have enough English, science or math and was looking at 68 credit hours. There were also licensing requirements. There was one program where I could get licensed in just over a year, but the cost was close to $30,000. While I understand the need for good teachers, I think the school systems are missing out on good, qualified people."

Jack Oliver was a business professional and coast guard trainer in Maryland who not only had to pass the Praxis exam which tests general knowledge, but spend more than 100 hours studying teaching techniques and take college courses to get his certification, according to an article in The Washington Post.

If you are considering teaching as a second career, how realistic is it?

At first, people have to "get over the shock of learning how different the student of today is from the student back when they went to school," explains Mary Damer, Visiting Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University and a behavior consultant who observed people who switched to teaching after being in the military or business.

The second career teachers have to go through a "'bubble bursting' time," she says. New teachers coming from other careers should work closely with veteran teachers to become equipped with classroom management skills and to "learn research-based teaching strategies that have proven success with at-risk students with more coursework focused on classroom management."

The requirements seem steep, but the good news is there is "some experimental evidence to suggest that people who have not earned a teaching credential are as effective in public school classrooms as credentialed teachers," says Patrick Groff, professor of Education Emeritus at San Diego State University.

If you want to contribute your real-world experience as a teacher, but are overwhelmed by the requirements, you might check out the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence Passport to Teaching Certification (www.abcte.org/passport.html).

The process is built "on the existing knowledge and skills of working professionals" and guides them "to acquire additional skills and knowledge needed to enter the classroom and impact student learning," says Elizabeth Brill, State Policy Associate at the Board. You have up to twelve months to complete the process which costs $500-not including other coursework or preparation. The program qualifies a candidate to receive state certification in states that have adopted the program-so far only by a handful.

Whether it's teaching or another career you want to get into, there will be hurdles. The key is to focus on your strong desire and be determined to overcome the difficulties that, depending on how badly you want something, are insignificant compared to what you are striving for.

© by Andrea Kay