First of all I'd question that source, it lists some elementary and high school teachers making $300,000+/year. Secondly average salary is a lousy comparison p

First of all I'd question that source, it lists some elementary and high school teachers making $300,000+/year. Secondly average salary is a lousy comparison point, because in many industries like accounting the starting is fairly low, but the ceiling is quite high. In teaching it's relatively flat, and you need an advanced to degree to advance at all. A relatively senior accountant makes vastly more than a relatively senior teacher, and oftentimes for only 6 years of US schooling (4 year undergrad + 1-2 year certification). To break into the higher ranks of teacher salaries (or in some areas to get a job at all) you're required to do a 4 year undergrad + a teaching certificate + a masters, so you're talking about $40,000 for 7 seven years of schooling, with a ceiling somewhere around $90,000 even with a PHD. It might be fair to argue that you should be doing it for the love anyway, but I know people that would want to teach but specifically didn't go into it because they planned to have families and were worried about the income.