There are many reasons to want to change a career, ranging from feeling unfulfilled to wanted to explore something new. While it is often difficult to switch careers, especially in a slowly recovering economy, one college in Virginia is offering a program to make that process easier.

According to the Washington Post, the Northern Virginia Community College is just one of the schools that offers a program for people looking to switch from their current career into a teaching position. The program is part of a statewide effort to try to fill the shortage of public school teachers in just 16 weeks.

The program, Career Switchers, is offered in 11 of the 23 state community colleges and has drawn people from all career paths, including legal, military and sales.

"This is for people who are literally switching their careers for life," John Wells, a professor at the college, told the news source. "It's a little emotional for these people because they have to take a step back and ask, 'Do I really want to give up on my career? Do I want to be a teacher because it looks like fun or because I want to teach?' This is not an easy program. This is taking a two-year education program and crowding it into 16 weeks."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.5 million teachers were employed in 2008. The teaching industry is expected to grow by 13% between 2008 and 2018.