Highschool math/ physics teacher / Nuclear engineer.

[cragar]

Have any of you worked as a high school math or physics teacher or nuclear engineer?
If so do you like your job? Is your job stressful. Would you do it again? What other jobs in math or science have you had that you liked?

 

[analogdesign]

Almost all jobs are stressful. It is a fact of modern life.

I love my job. I would study electrical engineering again.

But some people would truly hate it. The secret is to get to know yourself well enough to know what YOU want. It's harder than it sounds. The key is to keep your options open and be honest with yourself about your experiences.

 

[Fusiontron]

I am entering a nuclear engineering PhD program this fall and did a BS in ME and a BS in physics. I know someone who works as a high school physics teacher, there is an incredible amount of take-home work for any high school teacher, so the same would probably be true of a math teacher. I enjoy nuclear engineering a lot. Also the starting pay where I live for BS in nuclear engineering is $65K vs. $40K for a high school teacher. Based on these facts I would do nuclear but I don't know enough info to tell you more for your case.

 

[cragar]

I thought about being a high school teacher because I like explaining math stuff to people and doing physics demonstrations for people. And I would get the summers off so I could do stuff during the summer. Working in industry you wouldn't get the summers off. If you teach for 20 years can't you retire with the state?
@ analogdesign: what do you love about your job?
@ Fusiontron : What do you like about nuclear engineering

 

[Fusiontron]

Nuclear engineering encompasses both technical and social topics. You have to know a lot about engineering and physics but also political topics such as licensing. It is something you can study and still talk about with non-technical people at some level.

 

[cragar]

what do like about the physics and math used in nuclear engineering. Nuke engineering seems very physical and you can picture it, not as abstract as QM.

 

[analogdesign]

Regarding summers off for a high school teacher, while you do get more time off than most professions keep in mind that you actually have a lot to do development work and so on during the summer.

And typically you can't retire with a pension until you are in your 60s, so much more than 20 years although that depends a lot on district.

As for me I love many things about my job. I love how challenging and intellectually stimulating it is. I love that after many years I'm finally getting to the point that I understand something deeply. That's a beautiful feeling most people don't get a chance to experience.