From a very young age, some individuals recognize the rewards of imparting wisdom, lesson or skill on to an apprentice, friend or younger sibling. Others may come to find much later in life that they seek the satisfaction this relationship yields. Regardless of the path to the classroom, a genuine interest in leaving students with broader horizons seems to be the most important criterion for being an effective teacher.

Though Michigan requires nearly all elementary and secondary school teachers to undergo traditional training, the announcement of forthcoming federal dollars to the state may compel some pursuing careers in education to be trained through online degrees or other alternative certification programs.

The federal Race to the Top fund will offer more than $4 billion to states demonstrating a commitment to education reform, including an openness to accepting educators certified through alternate training programs, NPR.org reports.

"We're talking about a huge, huge need across the country," Bill Price, a professor at Eastern Michigan University told the news source. "We have 54 million kids in schools across the U.S."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment of teachers is expected to increase by 12 percent between 2006 and 2016.