Introduction to Business E-Portfolio Assignment

For this assignment I will be discussing the Education Industry. It is my current goal to
become a High School Math or Science Teacher. Will this career be right for me? This
assignment should help me figure out if this profession will be the right choice for me. In order
to make the most informed decision possible I will be going over the following topics: Industry,
Personal Interest, Job Description, Education Experience, Average Salary, Career Outlook, a
Biography of Someone in the Field, Advantages and Disadvantages, Family Life, and finally
Final Fit, will it work?
THE EDUCATION INDUSTRY
The education industrys main focus of production is education. Education is defined by
Merriam-Websters Dictionary as the knowledge, skill, and understanding that you get from
attending a school, college, or university. Whether it is the education of our children or as I am
finding out a working mother who is going back to school to find a new career. Education could
be considered one of the most important industries. Education holds the key to producing our
next Bill Gates, Nicola Tessla, and Benjamin Franklin. Education is something that as an
American citizen you have a right to have a pursue. Once you have turned 18 if you choose to
you can further your education even more by attending a vocational school, college, university,
and sometimes even learning on the job. Education comes in many forms from for profit schools,
not-for-profit, public, private, formal and informal settings. Most of the education that we are
familiar with is public education, which is funded primarily through the government and
donations. The government funds public education through our tax dollars. The Private sector
depends on tuition money and money from investors, sometimes in the form of donations.
PERSONAL INTEREST
I have always had a passion for helping other people. It is something I believe in so much
almost to a fault. If I am able to help someone and make their life better, there is nothing more
rewarding than that. I had never really considered education; I always pictured myself in
Healthcare. This is what I have been doing the past 13 years. But I have reached the point in my
current profession that I cant climb any higher. Reaching this plateau has made me wonder:
What do I really want to do when I grow up? How can I help people? I had recently been talking
to my cousin who had just finished her teaching degree in the spring. We were talking about her
student teaching and how much fun and fulfillment she got from teaching. I started thinking
more and more about teaching and what I might like about it. I believe that my love of helping
people could make me an excellent teacher. I would love to teach children and help them learn
and develop the same love of learning that I have. I believe that I will find the passion for a
career that I have been looking for.
JOB DESCRIPTION

The job I would be pursuing in the education field would be on the High School level, in
either math or science. Math and science have always been my stronger subjects. I am also
considering Junior High or Middle School; they may be a hard age group but they need strong
teachers more than any other age group. I have always loved science, since I was young. I
believe that is another reason I was drawn to Healthcare initially. What better way to express my
love of science than to bring that joy to others and spread my love to the next generation. Math is
also another topic I am considering teaching. While I dont have the love of math that I do for
science I have always been good at it and have tutored many of my relatives, younger and older
who have struggled with it. I have chosen to stick with public education as of now, because that
is where the real need for good teachers is.
EDUCATION EXPERIENCE
Education varies from job to job in the education industry. For Elementary to High
School education as a teacher a Bachelors Degree is required. In high school majoring in the
subject you will be teaching is also often required. If your goals are to one-day work in
administration a Masters Degree is the minimum requirement, sometimes a Doctorate is
required if not preferred. Charter schools which are fairly new to the education pool do not
require a degree, although it is often preferred. Colleges and Universities vary with their
Education requirements. As a college professor a Masters is required and a Doctorate is
preferred. Universities are very particular and almost always require a doctorate in their
particular field of study and field that you will be teaching. In Elementary through High School
teaching along with your Bachelors degree you will also be required to get your Teaching
Certificate through the state. With this Certificate continuing education is required in order to
maintain it and remain certified. In order to move up in the education industry you will have to
increase your own education. A bachelors is the universal minimum for teaching and it can go
all the way up to a doctorate in a particular specialty.
AVERAGE SALARY
When I interviewed Michael Spendlove we talked about salaries. Michael said that when
he started teaching High School math right out of school with his Bachelors degree he was
making around $30,000 per year. After attaining his Masters and teaching for almost 20 years
his salary is now around $52,000. He is now also teaching as a Professor at the Utah State
University Extension part-time, he acquired his Masters degree in order to get the position
which brings him an additional $24,000 per year. Patti Halladay who is a teacher in Elementary
Special Education makes approximately $48,000 per year. She could earn an additional $1,000
per year, which she doesnt plan to pursue since the degree would cost more than she would
make before her retirement. She began her journey in the education industry as a Para-educator
in the special-education department. When she began in that position she was making minimum
wage which at the time was $5.00 per hour and she was only working part-time. She has
certainly come a long way from those meager beginnings as she puts it. They both informed

me that should they ever want to earn more money in the public education sector that they would
have to have a masters in administration and move up to a district job. They were not sure but
said that most administration jobs on the district level earn 6 figures per year. But the both also
said that they liked teaching and would miss the kids and the fulfillment they get from teaching.
CAREER OUTLOOK
Currently the market for teachers in Utah is steadily increasing, especially the need for
upper math teachers. Even when the economy goes down, the need for teachers goes up. This is
because people decide to go back to school and further their education to get the better jobs. As
of now and in the future I dont see the market for teachers going down. In fact more teachers are
retiring than are going into the field. According to Michael Spendlove math teachers in Utah are
in such demand that the state has offered a $10,000 salary increase to math teachers. Which to a
teachers salary is a pretty significant amount? Which has become another reason that I am
considering becoming a math teacher, supply and demand? The supply is low, so they are in
demand.
GIVE A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF SOMEONE IN THE INDUSTRY
I have chosen to give a biography about my mother Patrice Halladay. She is a true started
from the bottom kind of story. When I was around 10 years old my mother decided to rejoin the
workforce. With little to no formal education she decided to work as a para-educator in the
special education department at my school. When she began this job she was paid minimum
wage, which at that time was a measly $5.00 per hour and she was only working part-time.
Paras as they are referred to in the department are considered bottom of the barrel and they work
harder than most. After doing t\his nearly thankless job for 5 years she decided it was time for
change. She loved working with the children in special Ed and really found her calling there. So
she headed back to school, working during the day and taking classes at night. It took her almost
6 years but she did it and is now the head of the department at her school. She had to work hard
and persevere though a lot of professional and personal ups and downs, but she made it. She says
that her only regret is that she didnt do it sooner.
DEFINE THE ADVATAGES AND DISADVANTGES
Advantages would be: good benefits. Teachers generally have good health benefits and
do offer retirement options (retirement is not the best, but they offer it). Time off (holidays and
summers off with your kids). Number one advantage: Teaching children (the fulfillment that you
get and the honor it is to teach our future generations). Disadvantages: Salary (little pay for a lot
of effort.) Testing (every year there seems to be more and more required testing, with less and
less instruction.) Personal Time (more often than not you will be sacrificing your personal time
without compensation).
EXPLAIN FAMILY LIFE IN THIS INDUSTRY

According to most of the research that I did this was the one area that really stood out to
me. All the articles and websites I visited raved about how great the teaching career is for
families. Not only are you on the same schedule as your own children, but you get all the same
Holidays off as well including summer break. While these things are all true, you do have the
benefit of being on the same schedule as your children, but there are some personal sacrifices of
family time as well. Mindy Palmer who I interviewed and is a first year teacher has made lots of
sacrifices to the time spent with her family. She arrives to school an hour early and is staying
until 6:00 or 7:00 pm. She feels that her work is never done and that she has felt completely
unprepared. Most of her time spent after hours are inputting all the data from the many tests that
children are now required to take. She feels like she has no time for lesson planning and that is
what she is doing on her weekends now instead of family time. Even after all this she does
believe that once she is more in the swing of things and has been teaching for a few more years.
Patti and Michael have both said that they have given many hours off the clock to their work and
that it does interfere with family life at times. They all do agree that the fact they have the
opportunity to have the summer break with their families makes it all worth it. Once you have
found your teaching groove the time comes, and you will have more of it.
FINAL FIT
After all the research and interviews, while not all of it was sunshine and rainbows I
definitely think that I would still like to pursue becoming a teacher. Just like any profession it has
its ups and downs. I know that it will be a challenge and I may not always think I can do it, but if
I can persevere the rewards could be great. Working in a career that I have passion for and find
fulfillment in would be worth all the hard work it is going to take to get there. Some of the
downfalls, which are mostly political, will, always, are there for this particular field. Maybe I can
become more politically active see if I can actually change a few things for teachers. For my
personal life having two children and one on the way I cant think of a better fit. I would be on
the same schedule and get to have the summer to spend with them. Plus Ill have an inside track
as to what teachers are better. Yes, I believe that with my desire to help others that becoming a
teacher and getting to impart the knowledge I have gained would be a tremendous fit for me. I
look forward to taking more education oriented classes, and cant wait to get in the field and
some hands on experience.

References
Education Careers . (n.d.). Retrieved from Education Careers Information:
http://www.educationcareersinfo.com
Halladay, P. (2015, September 27). Elementary School Special Education Teacher. (B. J.
Halladay, Interviewer)
Palmer, M. (2015, October 3). Elementary School Teacher Grade 3. (B. J. Halladay, Interviewer)
Salary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Salary Ranges for Education Jobs:
http://www1.salary.com/Education-Salaries.html
Spendlove, M. (2015, November 23). High School Math Teacher & University Math Professor.
(B. J. Halladay, Interviewer)
The Cornerstone for Teachers. (2014). Retrieved from Alternatives to Classroom Teaching is
Rewarding: http://www.thecornerstoneforteachers.com