Although substituting isn’t a bad idea to make some money and to see if you like working with kids, I’d say it’s nothing like teaching. If teaching was just working with kids, it will be a piece of cake. If you know any teachers, see if you can shadow them for a day (not saying formal pre-student teaching just informally) and see what their day is composed of, it would give you better idea of what to come.

Also look up salaries. In many states salaries drop, where I am at salaries drop significantly and I wouldn’t call it good pay at all. One has to really love it to keep doing it. Also look up pensions. Our state closed up pension system and you only get it if you grandfathered in. Look that up.

If you decide to become a teacher, you still have good few decades of working a rewarding job. It’s absolutely worth all other nonsense we put up with, just make sure that’s what you want and then go for it. Good luck