If you have found yourself “downsized” recently, you may wonder “do I leave the corporate world for something totally different?” The education field is a great option to consider. The path may not be as rocky as you think, but before you jump online and start applying, read further to see if you would be a good fit.

I joined the faculty of a local college last semester, after working in Human Resources for a nonprofit organization and then a publicly traded Fortune 500 company. If I had years of experience in education already under my belt, I would probably miss many of the adjustments needed as a newbie.

If you are contemplating whether to jump into K-12 or higher education, consider this. It is much easier to make the transition from corporate world to higher education, rather than K-12. Here is why; you are used to working with adults. And even though you may not view college students as adults, they are adults. If you really want to teach K-12, you will likely have to return to school and obtain a B.A. in teaching. You will need the additional schooling with its’ emphasis on teaching methods, discipline problems, classroom structure, and the invaluable student teaching experience.

If you move to higher education, you may not need any additional schooling, depending on where you want to move–community college, four year college, or graduate school. Obviously the farther up you go, the more likely you will need further education. At the two or four year schools, often subject matter mastery takes precedence over teaching credentials. Of course if you want to advance beyond the junior faculty level, you will need at least a Masters degree or more, depending on where you want to teach.

If the college environment intrigues you…remember that working on campus is completely different than it was when you were a student. If you have images of barely making it to class and showing up in sweats, this is not for you. Educators take their job very seriously, and they should. Just as you strove to excel in your corporate career, they do as well. If you don’t, like any industry, you will be shown the door.

Now we are getting to the meat of the subject, do you take the plunge into education? Rather than list items as a pro or con, let’s call them factors to consider. What may be a positive for one may be a negative for someone else.

Factors to Consider

Communication – How you convey ideas both written, verbally, and nonverbally cannot be overstated. The majority, but not all, of faculty positions are teaching. You must be able to convey information succinctly and understandably.

Ask yourself

• Are your verbal and written skills impeccable?
• Do co-workers often ask you to explain concepts to others?
• Do you enjoy giving presentations and following up with a Q and A session?

Organization – You will be much more autonomous, thus you need to be very organized. There are no co-workers to cover for you at the last minute, or print off the attachment for a meeting if you have forgotten it. And misplacing a student’s term paper is an experience no one wants to go through. If you are teaching multiple classes, coming up with a system to learn each students’ name will give you an instant connection with your students.

Ask yourself

• Can you stay on task?
• Are you used to working with little input from coworkers?
• Are you on time for meetings or constantly looking to see where you placed paperwork?
• Can you create a syllabus and stick to it for the entire semester?

Pace/Patience- I’ve placed these together because there is a lot of overlap. In my first few weeks I would email a coworker and expect a reply within the hour. It was frustrating when I had a project to complete and the first “domino” had not even fallen two days later. Newsflash-faculty members on campus are not all sitting at their desk or in a meeting with their company issued blackberry or laptop (looking as if they are taking notes, when in reality they are just going through email or text messages). In fact, at a public university you may not even get a laptop. You may have to wait until after class or until you get home to check your email. And since the majority of your time will be with students, patience is a much needed virtue.

Ask yourself

• Do you lose it when repeating things for the 3rd or 4th time to co-workers or your own children?
• Are you able to stay calm and on task, even when you don’t have all the “tools” or tech support?

Work Hours-We’ve all had family or friends in education that seem to “have the whole summer off” while we slave away at work on a 10 page Excel spreadsheet. Here is the reality– in most cases in higher education if you don’t work you don’t get paid. True, you may have the option of spreading your paycheck over 12 months, but if you teach part time that probably isn’t an option. Often teachers need to upgrade their skills or knowledge, and summer is the prime time to do that through a classroom setting or online course. However for many the time off to recharge their batteries is more valuable than the summer paycheck.

Ask yourself

• How well do you budget? Can you set aside money each month if you want the summer off?
• Are you fine with using “time off” to take further classes (which cost more money)?

If you answered YES to the majority of these questions, then you can hop online and begin to research local schools. Pay attention to job requirements for the positions they have posted. Search for the school on LinkedIn, look up faculty members, and note their career paths. Stop by the Human Resource office or stroll the campus to get a feel for what it is like to work there. If you see staff on break ask them candidly what it is like to work there. Teaching part time is the best way to ease into education. If there are no part time openings, then offer to teach a community education class, until a faculty opening comes along. You’ll get your feet wet enough to know if this is the direction you want to pursue. If it is not your cup of tea, you can still keep your day job or continue your job hunt. Your community ed teaching stint can then be included on your resume, showing that you are a “lifelong” learner and reaching out in the community. Either way, it is a win-win!