My 3rd year in college I was working as a summer camp counselor for kids with various dermatological disorders with goals of eventually being a dermatologist when realized that while I loved science and wanted to help people I loved getting kids to love science even more. Nothing beats the pure excitement you see when kids figure something new out. Plus a teachers work schedule is pretty awesome :)

Teachings not the type of job you’re going to see results or impact immediately, especially in 8th grade. My most memorable moment is a student I had 2 years prior had been a handful: absent, never turned work in, and even told me nothing he “was learning in school mattered because he didn’t plan on finishing anyways” came back to visit and told me he was getting A’s and has his sights on college because my class taught him anything he wanted was possible if he set his mind to it. I cried lol

Pay off the college debt from my undergraduate and masters degrees so I can start saving to become national board certified. Being a qualified teacher is surprisingly expensive