What Do You Tell Tomorrow's Teachers?

Ok... here's a question for you. A kid comes up to you and says, "I want to be a teacher. Will I be able to get a job?" What do you say? In the past year, I've heard confusing information about the market for primary and secondary school teachers in Pennsylvania. Our elementary, middle and high schools have many teachers who are nearing retirement age. But is that a problem when you live in a state with 93 schools that prepare primary and secondary school teachers? Will our supply of emerging workers meet the demands of our employers? The answer is yes and no. Labor supply and demand is not uniform across all teaching jobs. You can't replace a physics teacher with a spanish teacher. There are also geographic differences in demand. While teaching opportunities may be growing in suburban areas, they are likely to decline in some depopulating urban areas. Two interesting resources that discuss this challenge in more detail: 1. This Tribune Review article highlights the relative ease with which Hempfield High School is able to fill open positions. In fact, they rarely place a "help wanted" advertisement. However, certain teaching specialities (math, science, foreign language) are much harder to fill. http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/education/s_437165.html 2. The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board has highlighted primary and secondary teaching opportunities in the "Promising Career Pathways" series. http://www.trwib.org/PCP/Teachers_text.htm So what would you tell a kid who wants to be a teacher?