Would you recommend your college major?

[Eddie Teach]

So, can I be a high school teacher with just a history degree?

You'll go to prison if you sleep with your students.

[Ideologue]

2. History (average starting salary: $39,700)

Average starting salary in what exactly?

history teacher in high school, most likely?

Maybe, that would seem reasonable.  It was just weird in an era with 20%+ youth unemployment to suggest history grads walk out of school with a salaried position of $39,700.  I knew several who were working for hourly wages, like me for example.  Many others cannot get jobs.  So those guys getting salaries must be getting giant salaries indeed to make that the average.

Maybe it counts all those with history bachelors who immediately go on to get Law degrees?

[merithyn]

Just so you know, this is wrong.  You might want to look up some facts before you start telling people who don't know better how it is "in America, at least."

To teach in high school, one almost certainly needs a degree in the field taught, contrary to what you state.  It is true that you also need a teaching certificate (which you can obtain after taking the 5 or so requisite courses in child development, best practices, and that sort of thing), but I don't know a single high school teacher in America, at least who has a bachelor's in education.  The coursework required to get subject certification on top of a teaching certificate would virtually amount to a new degree anyway.

In Massachusetts, they allowed (as do many states) someone with a subject area degree to teach under a provisional teaching certification while they took the requisite courses to get a permanent teaching certificate, but you are absolutely wrong to state that such teachers had to get a degree in education.  No one would agree to that kind of burden.

A master's degree in education is quite popular among high school teachers; I'd guess between a quarter and half of public high school teachers have one.

Primary school teachers mostly do have bachelor's degrees in education, in America at least.  But that's not what we are talking about.

tl;dr version:  Cal is dead wrong, and high school history teachers generally do have history degrees and don't have teaching degrees.

Well yes, this is true. However, you have to be able to get into the Education Program to get your certificates. That's why I never ended up teaching. My grades weren't good enough to get into the program, which meant that I couldn't take the classes needed to get my teaching certificate.

So, yes, you get a degree in history and you do need a certificate, but because of the way most programs are structured, you have to qualify for the Education College to end up teaching, whether your degree is in Education or History.

[Malthus]

I would not recommend majoring, as I did, in anthro. I certainly enjoyed university, but I was totally clueless as to what I would do after. While going to law school paid off for me, it's a very tough path these days, as Ide continually reminds us. 

[Ed Anger]

2. History (average starting salary: $39,700)

Average starting salary in what exactly?

Working as a manager at Barnes and Nobles.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

The thing about that is that, in America Massachusetts at least, you can't go teach in a high school with a history degree--you need an education degree and the accompanying certifications.  I think some private schools will hire someone with a history degree vs. an education degree, but not any public schools.

At one point when there was a teacher shortage in Mass. they were letting people with any sort of bachelor's degree take some exam and if you passed it, you could get hired as like a provisional teacher, but only if you agreed to go to night school to get an education degree and you had to obtain it within x number of years or you'd get let go.

FYP.

Florida does not now and has never required an Education degree for teachers.  In fact, for secondary school subjects they require so many credits in the specific subject areas that I doubt the average Education major even qualifies unless they double-majored.

Texas does not require Education degrees, either.  They do require completion of a graduate certificate program if you do do not have an Education degree, though.

[lustindarkness]

I did 2 years of college and dropped out and joined the reserves. Best decision in my life. If i were to go back to school now, I would not go back to engineering. I would probably go for a skill instead.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Well yes, this is true. However, you have to be able to get into the Education Program to get your certificates. That's why I never ended up teaching. My grades weren't good enough to get into the program, which meant that I couldn't take the classes needed to get my teaching certificate.

So, yes, you get a degree in history and you do need a certificate, but because of the way most programs are structured, you have to qualify for the Education College to end up teaching, whether your degree is in Education or History.

No you don't.  Most states accept certifications from various accredited entities, some of which do nothing bu teacher certifications.  The Florida DOE even runs their own certification program open to anyone holding a temporary certificate and currently employed as a teacher.

[Admiral Yi]

The Florida DOE even runs their own certification program open to anyone holding a temporary certificate and currently employed as a teacher.

Sounds like a bit of a Catch-22.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

The Florida DOE even runs their own certification program open to anyone holding a temporary certificate and currently employed as a teacher.

Sounds like a bit of a Catch-22.

Why?  The temporary certificate only requires a bachelor's degree and a passing grade on the subject area test you want to teach in.

[merithyn]

Well yes, this is true. However, you have to be able to get into the Education Program to get your certificates. That's why I never ended up teaching. My grades weren't good enough to get into the program, which meant that I couldn't take the classes needed to get my teaching certificate.

So, yes, you get a degree in history and you do need a certificate, but because of the way most programs are structured, you have to qualify for the Education College to end up teaching, whether your degree is in Education or History.

No you don't.  Most states accept certifications from various accredited entities, some of which do nothing bu teacher certifications.  The Florida DOE even runs their own certification program open to anyone holding a temporary certificate and currently employed as a teacher.

Those certs usually take 12-18 months and thousands of dollars. May as well get a Masters in Education as get those. And it's really hard to get a job as a teacher without a cert in hand, so the Florida program isn't really helpful unless you've already got a job in a private school. (They'll hire you with a BA in a subject without a teaching cert more readily than most public schools will.)

[Admiral Yi]

Why?  The temporary certificate only requires a bachelor's degree and a passing grade on the subject area test you want to teach in.

kay

[merithyn]

Why?  The temporary certificate only requires a bachelor's degree and a passing grade on the subject area test you want to teach in.

No such thing as a temp cert in Illinois. You can get a substitute teaching cert without a teaching certificate, but you can only stay in the job for six months, then you have to go three months without working again. I have a substitute teacher certification, but I've never used it. The districts around here are so saturated with certified teachers who can't get jobs that the district will hire them before a non-cert sub.

[grumbler]

So, can I be a high school teacher with just a history degree?

For public schools, you will need (or be working towards, in some school districts) a teaching certificate as well.  That is not generally true for private schools.

[Brazen]

Those all look like bloody good starting salaries to me.