UTeach - Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin

Why should you consider teacher certification through UTeach-CS?

Because UTeach-CS is:

UTeach provides computer science students the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate degree and a secondary teaching certificate at the same time.
No additional hours are required since core degree requirement and elective hours within the CS degree plan are utilized for the education courses taken. Most UTeach freshmen and sophomores can still graduate in four years.
CS students pursuing certification through UTeach receive the same degree as those who do not.

The first two courses are free-of-charge. They are called, appropriately enough, Step 1 and Step 2. They are one-hour courses in which students have the opportunity to write and teach lessons in elementary and middle schools.
Step 1 and Step 2 are offered as the test-drive approach to teaching certification. Students get early field experience teaching and are reimbursed the cost of tuition; participants will have a good idea early on whether or not teaching suits them at no cost and no commitment.

Teacher certification is a plus when applying to graduate school. Graduate school admissions officials assume candidates who can explain complicated concepts to others have a better understanding of the content themselves. In addition, graduate schools often require students to serve as instructors in order to obtain financial assistance.
In an unpredictable economy, it is ideal to have two career options. Teaching is relatively recession-proof.
Though the pay may not be competitive with industry, the benefits are. Starting salaries in Austin-area schools range from $40k - $45k for a nine-month work period. Teachers get summers off, multiple holiday vacations, retirement benefits in place of social security, etc. Teaching allows for a flexible lifestyle to pursue travel, family, hobbies, volunteer work, etc.
Teaching is a socially responsible and community-oriented career path. Don’t want to be a codemonkey in a cube? Want to effect change? Want to positively impact the community where you grew up or where your family lives? Become a teacher.
The need for CS teachers is huge. Texas needs around 2,800 of them to offer a computer science class to every high school student, but only has roughly 960 currently able to teach. So graduates can often pick a state, pick a region, pick a city, and often even an individual school and get the job they want.

Greater Texas Foundation scholarships - $1,000 for taking Step 1 and Step 2. Possibly a set number of these are reserved for CS students.
AISD Scholarship pays $5,000 over the final 4 semesters of the program (with no commitment to teach in AISD)
Hartmann Scholarships pay full tuition and a stipend for up to 2 years (averaging on the order of about $10,000 per year).
$12/hour paid internships: UTeach pays you to perform what would otherwise be volunteer work emphasizing education and the community.
many, many more opportunities!