Reviewed by: Michael Seale
Why this Madison teacher + football coach never thought he’d teach—but now loves it
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Cade McGuire knew his entire life he wanted to play football in college.
But, he never knew that his football scholarship to the University of North Alabama would lead him down an unexpected career path. Read on for all the details.
Playing football at UNA + studying engineering
When Cade stepped onto UNA’s campus, he had a clear vision of what his college career would look like—playing football, joining Greek life and getting an engineering degree.
However, things quickly took a turn when Cade’s high school knee energy flared up again and forced him to give up the game.
“Having to give up football that first fall semester was miserable. Nothing can replace the brotherhood that you have around you on a team.
I knew I wanted to still be a part of the sport, so I started volunteering.”
Cade McGuire
Cade’s first volunteer opportunity came when Brooks High School in Killen, Alabama, asked him to coach football at the school. He immediately fell in love with coaching and began to rethink his initial career path.
“After doing some substitute teaching at the high school, I knew teaching was the route for me. I was inspired by my mom who had taught for years, and I was excited about how I could coach on the side too.”
Cade McGuire
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From engineering to teaching science
Along with shifting his career path to education, Cade changed his major to chemistry.
“I love science and chemistry—always have, always will.
I also love the opportunity to make an impact as a teacher. At the end of every day, I want to know that I made a difference.”
Cade McGuire
After graduating from UNA, Cade received an excellent first job offer as a teacher and coach at James Clemens.
“I felt spoiled to get my first position at a 7A high school like James Clemens. The kids, teachers and staff are all phenomenal.
I love getting to nerd out in the classroom, but I also enjoy putting down the Expo marker, listening to the students and being a relationship builder. I want someone 20 years from now at their class reunion to say, ‘Yeah, I remember Coach McGuire.'”
Cade McGuire
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Getting his master’s degree
Most people say the first year of teaching is the hardest, but Cade loved his first year and finished the spring semester feeling excited about his career.
The thought of adding graduate school to the mix had not come to his mind until a coworker brought it up.
“I was enjoying the teaching and coaching life and not having to think about checking my grades on Canvas or paying for school. But my colleague encouraged me to look into grad school, saying ‘The longer you wait, the harder it’ll be to go back.’ So I decided to go for it.”
Cade McGuire
Cade began his master’s program in January of 2023. Juggling coursework, teaching and coaching made it challenging, but fortunately, UNA’s program was flexible.
“Sometimes it was tedious to balance all of my responsibilities, but UNA helped me not feel overwhelmed. The flexibility was very different from my undergrad experience.
You’re not expected to sit at your computer for eight hours at a time, just grinding it out. They understand that most of us are busy teaching. It really comes down to scheduling your tasks and working at your own pace.”
Cade McGuire
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Madison County teachers can save big on master’s degrees
UNA also made the process easier by offering financial help. The university has a partnership with local schools, and they’ll pay 33% of tuition for full-time employees of Madison and Huntsville City schools.
“The partnership was a huge blessing. Along with paying 33% of my tuition, UNA had an installment plan where I could pay over time through three or four-month policies.”
Cade McGuire
As a fourth-generation UNA graduate, Cade loves getting to share about the university with his students.
“I have a little UNA alumni flag in my classroom, and my students will be like, ‘Oh, you went to UNA? I’ve been thinking about going there.’
And I hype it up to them. I always say, ‘It’s the perfect place.'”
Cade McGuire
Looking for the perfect place to further your education and save serious money on tuition? Check out UNA today.
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