The Huffington Post asked this question in a recent article. You have the usual commentary on how good teacher have it, pensions, vacations, etc. The other night as we were drifting off to sleep, I was musing with my husband about what I had “given up” being a teacher. Here are some figures:

1. My salary was over $40,000 a year when I left banking and I earned three weeks of vacation, exclusive of holidays, etc.
2. The type of positions I worked in now pay about $85,000 a year, and I would be at the point of earning six or more weeks of vacation each year.
3. I now earn, after 9 years, a little more than I used to make in banking. I have about nine weeks off in the summer, but I would only count that as seven because preparing for the school year requires at least two weeks, and is never compensated.

That position required less education, I did not even have my bachelors degree at the time. In fact, they helped pay 35-50% of my tuition for me to finish my degree…in history. If I had studied for an MBA, they would have helped pay for that.