I was a graphic designer for decades and went back to school at 60 to become a teacher. It pays less but is more rewarding.

• Stuart Fuller, 64, teaches graphics, design, and technology in London.
• He went back to school to pursue a career in teaching at 60.
• He finds teaching rewarding even though it’s less lucrative.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stuart Fuller. It has been edited for length and clarity.

After a decadeslong career as a graphic designer, I decided to pursue a teaching career at 60. It pays less, but I’ve found the profession much more rewarding.

For my undergrad degree, I studied three-dimensional design and graduated with a degree in product design in 1983. When I finished school, a friend with a studio in Cambridge, England, offered me a job. I’ve been working in graphic design ever since.

My last job before pursuing teaching was with an advertising company called Saatchi & Saatchi. My favorite part of working in the profession was that every day looked a little different. I had the opportunity to travel a lot, and every day, there was a different creative problem to work out.

I started in 1999 and worked in their London office for over 20 years. During the pandemic, we had lockdowns, and the advertising industry suffered. Clients dried up, money dried up, and agencies made several rounds of layoffs.

When December 2020 rolled around, I was laid off from Saatchi & Saatchi. Retiring crossed my mind, but I didn’t like the idea of not doing anything.

A conversation with my brother sparked my interest in teaching

After being laid off from the ad company, I talked to my oldest brother on the phone. He was in the Royal Air Force but currently teaches math and electronics. He knew I recently left my old position and asked, “Have you thought about teaching?”

After our call, I researched the profession on Google and found Now Teach. Now Teach is an educational charity that helps people develop teaching careers by connecting them to schools that provide teacher training and opportunities to pursue a postgraduate certificate of education (or PGCE) alongside other education professionals.

I called them to learn more about the next steps in joining. They identified schools in my area where I could do my teacher training and asked me if I wanted to do a PGCE, which I decided to do simultaneously.

I remember my first day walking up to the entrance of my training school as clear as day. I’d always gone to work in jeans, and it was the first time I’d ever worn a suit. I hadn’t been in an environment like that since I was 16, and suddenly, there were kids in the corridor. The fact that I was back in a school environment really hit me. During teacher training, a staff member is there to mentor and take you under their wing. My mentor introduced me to classes during the first two weeks, and then, by the third week, I started to teach with her observing me.

When I wasn’t in the classroom putting what I was learning into practice, I was experiencing the academic side of everything, working toward my PGCE. I was learning about the theory of academia by taking classes at a university. I was learning alongside people in their early 20s to people my age.

I may make less, but teaching has been extremely rewarding

I finished my teacher training and graduated with my PGCE in 2022. There’s certainly a need for teachers, and I got the first job I applied for after graduating. I began teaching at a school in Loughton, England, in September 2022 and stayed there until December 2023 before I landed at my current school.

I’ve been teaching graphics, technology, and design in London since January 2024. My current school focuses on design and engineering and is a GCSE and A-level school. I teach students from the ages of 13 through 18. One specific topic I teach is digital imaging regarding games, video, and film, so kids get to learn those skills.

When I first started considering entering the teaching profession, I thought, “Well, I’ll sort of see how it goes.” I took things one step at a time. I never sat down and thought teaching would be my thing in life, but I do feel that way now.

Financially, I make less as a teacher than in my professional graphic design career. Though I spent 40 years earning good money, I never found the money to be my motivator. I always found the work itself to be my motivator. Even though I make half as much now, I don’t look at my salary and think, “Oh my god, you know, is that it?” I’m reasonably financially secure, and what I’m making now is a bonus.

Finances aside, teaching has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve had the opportunity to work with outstanding students. Their grasp of graphics, strong ability to apply the process, and knowledge of their creative work have been extraordinary. With two or three of my 18-year-old students in particular, I told them I would give them a job if they walked into my office in the industry.

My wife used to be a social worker, and although she would sometimes come home with horror stories when we talked about our day, her day also sounded so much more rewarding. While I was selling people things, she was providing a service that helped people. I remember thinking, “God, I wish I had a job like that.” I wanted to feel like I was actually making a difference in someone’s life, and now I am.

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