When I first entered university at age 19, becoming a teacher was not part of my game plan. I wanted to be a psychologist, but when I attended the lectures I found out that I hated psychology! After three years I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology and secured my first "real" job as a Probation Officer. A few months into the job I realized that probation was not for me and I would have to change my employment focus.

When I looked at my resume, I realized that a lot of my work experience revolved around children. I was a figure skating teacher, youth group leader and had volunteered at an elementary school. It seemed only natural that I should consider working with children on a full time basis and become a teacher.

I researched the requirements for Teachers College and realized that I needed to go back to university to improve my marks before I could even think about applying. I was aware of the statistics that there are more teachers than there are jobs, but I refused to let the reality of the situation discourage me from applying. I had to believe that I would get accepted to the education program and I would be able to find a position.

I only applied to the Faculty of Education at York University. I liked the fact that the entire application process also involved a personal interview and took life experience into consideration.

I realized that during the interview, I would have to market myself positively. I would have to make them believe that the teaching profession would suffer without me.

Teaching is an extremely rewarding career, if you love children there's no better environment to be in. I am able to positively influence young lives by building their self-esteem and also encouraging them to grow academically.

Teaching is not an easy profession. We are challenged every day by the reality of large numbers of students in one classroom, funding cuts, responsibility and accountability. But as long as I believe that I've done my best every day, I continue to feel that I'm making a difference.

Ignore the negative statistics. If being a teacher is the career that you want to pursue keep in mind that the job market will be opening up in the next 3-5 years, because many teachers will be retiring. In the meantime, continue to build your resume, get some volunteer teacher experience, remain focused and study hard. If you don't get accepted into Teachers College the first time, keep applying!!