OUR OPINION: N.C. TEACH offers an excellent opportunity for non-education majors to get a meaningful job after college, and it also benefits elementary- and secondary-education students all over the state.

Four years of college have bolted by, you have your degree in hand and you realize that you don’t know the next step you should take. Your major isn’t particularly conducive to a regular, everyday job, but you have every intention of utilizing your degree.

The answer to your predicament: N.C. TEACH.

N.C. TEACH is a program that gives non-education graduates a chance to get their teaching license while earning a paycheck, and most importantly, learning important teaching skills.

Graduates in N.C. TEACH, which is in its third year, teach elementary- and secondary-education classes during the day and take courses at night and on weekends toward licensure.

The classes they teach are in schools all over the state; the program started at Apex High School, which is right down the road.

This is an excellent way for N.C. State to get involved and help our state. It not only gives back to the community but boosts the dismal number of teachers available, particularly in rural areas, and also gives non-education graduates a chance to enter the teaching field laterally — without going back college.

Other universities, including East Carolina, engage in this sort of program, and every UNC system institution should jump on board as well.

On the University level, every college at NCSU should get involved in some sort of program that benefits North Carolina as a whole. That isn’t to say a lot of colleges don’t do that already, but the more, the merrier.

The generation of new teachers is essential to the future of all students. The demand for teachers statewide already goes well beyond the amount of education graduates every year.

We understand that after being in a classroom for 17 or 18 years, graduates may not want to dive right back in to the high, middle or elementary school setting. However, if you are having trouble finding a job out of your degree, put it to good use and become a teacher.

If anything, you can use teaching as a stepping stone to your dream job, although teaching is one of the most fulfilling positions one can have.

The University should continue to work closely with the state of North Carolina to develop similar programs that can benefit both entities. This is a win-win situation.