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Abstract
This descriptive study utilized a mail questionnaire to develop a profile of prevalent factors influencing adults to pursue career transitions into teaching careers. Graduate students seeking initial certification (N = 203) in the Teachers College of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were studied to ascertain demographic characteristics, reasons that they were changing careers, and reasons that they were seeking teaching careers. The primary objective of the research was to ascertain if (1) factors such as a need for increased job satisfaction were among the primary reasons for the career change; and (2) if adults who were making career changes from so-called "fast-track" careers were seeking more intrinsic satisfaction, such as a career that was more personally "meaningful" to them rather than extrinsic factors, such as money and corporate benefits.
From the demographic data and reasons given for the career change and career choice of teaching, a profile was developed of the most representative (prevalent) factors. This profile indicated that adults making a career transition into education as a second or later career did so for different reasons than those who originally decided upon teaching as a career field; and did so primarily in a search for more "meaning" in their lives.
