Go to T20 or become a teacher and reapply???
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15 Aug 2021, 02:47
I was hoping to have people vote on whether I should go to school now or teach for a public charter school. I would also appreciate any comments, especially about what you think the ramifications of my decision could be. Details, probably too many of them, are below.
So...
I'm about to start at a T20 with a half scholarship. I haven't paid tuition yet because it isn't due. I'm moved in with my partner in this city, and things are going fine except, of course, for having to do math again.
To hedge against Delta and the possibility of remote classes, I applied to some jobs a couple of weeks ago. To my surprise, my background and volunteer experience were a hit for environmental science teaching roles, and I got my first offer today. The salary will be $55,000-60,000 in a high cost of living area. I expect a similar offer from a non-profit in a week or so.
I'm faced with a dilemma now. Do I take this job as a high school teacher at a public charter school where I would teach underprivileged high schoolers about environmental science and helping them get ready for college, or do I now go to business school at the T20?
My desired career is probably consulting, but I also like LDPs. I think financially, the T20 might be the best call, but sitting through presentations so far, I get the feeling I'm about to sell my soul and do more harm than good. Based on my volunteer experience, teaching something important makes me feel different. FWIW, I also miss my friends and family in my hometown, and I'm seriously feeling down about what's coming with climate change.
So my choices are to teach or go to school now.
I suspect that if I go to teach, I'll be applying to business school in a year or two. If I do go this route, would two years teaching likely harm my application? I work in higher education right now but in operations management. A pivot to teaching environmental science (Kinda TFA style) would be dramatically different than my full-time experience. However, it would fit perfectly with all my volunteering to teach children about the urban environment. As a white male with a 327 (164V 163Q) GRE and 3.72 GPA, do I stand a shot at M7 or T15s with this experience? I don't want to ruin my future chances if I do this.
Posted from my mobile device