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In changing careers from accountant to science teacher, Pete Tortorici learned you have to plan your plans then "do what you gotta do" ...Pete Tortorici is a teacher at North Park Elementary School (NPES), a private school on Chicago's north side. Thing is, many of the students don't know his name. It's not because the kids don't like him. They do. In fact, his after school science program jumped from 23 kids in 2005 to 30 in 2006. And it's not because he's disconnected from his students, because he's definitely one of those engaging, involved educators. It's because this 48-year old science teacher goes simply by Mr. T — a fitting moniker, since he's all about simplification and focus.

Before joining NPES in 2000 as Assistant Principal and 6th, 7th and 8th grade science teacher, Tortorici was an accountant for a New Jersey jewelry company. Fifteen years into this career, he got a wake up call. "In the early 1990s, every time a position in my department opened up, I'd get these resumes from people in their 50s who'd been downsized or laid off," Tortorici says. "These were men and women with impressive career records, making $80,000 a year. And just like that, out of work. I said, ‘I don't ever want to be that person.' That's when I started thinking about a job change."

To secure a more stable career, Tortorici considered getting a masters degree in finance, making the move to a corporate giant, or getting his CPA license. None of these ideas struck a chord. What he did enjoy was coaching Little League baseball. "I'd been a coach for 20 years, and parents were always saying I'd be a great teacher," Tortorici says. "So that's what I did. My decision also hinged on the fact that teaching is one of those professions where experience is honored, as opposed to the corporate world where you get to a certain point and they send you out to pasture."

Step one for Tortorici was earning his masters degree in curriculum development at Loyola University in Chicago. Step two was joining the faculty at NPES. Step three, his current phase, is all about the kids. "It took me three years to see that I really want to be a teacher and another three years to fully understand the curriculum. Now I'm at the refining stage," Tortorici says. "How can I become the best possible teacher for the kids and really use the newest teaching techniques?"

And "Mr. T's" classroom doesn't close with the final bell. After school, he coaches the NPES Science Olympiad team, which competes in tournaments sponsored by the national, non-profit organization of the same name. After three years as coach, the team progressed from a casual club to a competitive team, moving up from regional to state competition. Now in his seventh year as coach, the team is thinking national.

Tortorici's career shift went so well, he recently decided to simplify and focus yet again. "Between the classroom, Science Olympiad and being Vice Principal," Tortorici explains, "there wasn't enough time. I did a little soul searching and decided the school would continue just fine without me in the front office. I resigned as Vice Principal so I can give the science curriculum and Science Olympiad team my complete devotion."

What advice does Tortorici offer any one wanting to "re-career?" The accountant in him says take a good long look at your lifestyle and decide what sacrifices you can and cannot make, since going back to school or starting a business often involves a significant pay cut at some point. Then, get your finances in order so you can survive the pay cut. Finally, the risk-taker in him stresses, "Don't look back. Do what you gotta do."