You’ve been on your current career path for a few years — or maybe it’s only a few months — and you suspect this isn’t where you want to be long term. Maybe you don’t find the work rewarding, or you aren’t making the meaningful connections you expected. If the nagging dissatisfaction is persistent and growing, it may be time to consider switching careers. Especially if you’re looking for more personal satisfaction, a career change to teaching is something to consider.

Wren Walker Robbins earned a PhD in cell biology, then switched careers to teaching more than a decade ago. Now the director of the Secondary Science Education program at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Mont., she says making the decision to switch careers should entail careful thought — and the result should reflect who you are as a person.

Patricia Bancroft is a senior at Northern Arizona University majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. She’s learned a lot, both in and outside class, including holding leadership positions in the AISES College Chapter. Here are some of Patricia’s tips on keeping that midyear enthusiasm

It’s winter. The holiday break is a memory, and you’re settling in to the new term. And while it may seem that having been gone for a few weeks shouldn’t make a difference, we all know it does. So it’s important to think about things you can do to gear up for a great spring semester.