I thought about it while in the Junior College. I had a cool Anthro/Archaeology teacher. Work the school year, travel to AZ and NM for some digs and hit the Rez pawn shops for cool stuff. He had some wonderful rugs and pawn jewelry. Pots too. And I figured unlike Junior or HS age kids that were required to be there, I'd have students that mostly wanted to be there. And should I get one that didn't like my class, I could tell them "Hey, you realize YOU are paying for this. YOU don't have to stay".10 years or so later, when I went to the real University as a returning student I realized I wasn't cut out for dealing with people on a regular basis. I'd rather deal with critters, they seem easier to get along with.
Glad you made it out alive!
Thanks, Geno. Often it takes a while and some serious reflection, and maybe most of a lifetime, until we are enabled to see what may have been the best choices. I do understand about the happiness and peace that can come in dealing mostly with critters. I know some fine folks who found their best niche there.
The very best parts of the education field, for me, were the planning, energies and hours devoted to working with students. Huge rewards for me and, based on some accumulated evidence, maybe for a lot of them as well. One major benefit was that I could further develop my skills and talents and get to apply the expertise and abilities in a wide variety of performance situations - big enjoyment - in the very field to which I was devoted for teaching. Maybe rare these days - I was fortunate. After many years of that I looked at the future, decided to complete a Ph.D to prepare for leadership work and went on to that. Different investments, different rewards, different risks. The effort to help and lead faculty types is a different universe than the sphere of eager and willing students.
Stay happy.
