Quote:
Originally Posted by mtnquilt
Hi,
I was reading your post about being a reading specialist and I have a few questions for you about your professional path. I finished my Master's degree in literacy last year and have passed the reading specialist state exam. I am very curious about your experience in private practice. I am ready to move out of the classroom and am trying to determine my career options as a reading specialist. How did you determine that private practice was feasible? I would appreciate any information that you can share. Thanks so much.
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The feasibility of going into private practice was based on a couple of factors:
- my wife started a new job a year ago at a considerably higher pay scale and I can get health insurance thru her work for about $100 a month
- I have about 20 years experience and am well-networked in the independent school/LD field in my area, and I have been able to use contacts to generate opportunities
- I teach graduate courses as an adjunct that provides a steady, though modest income stream
- there are a couple of professional development opportunities that I have thought about and believe are feasible, and am trying to make them happen with the additional free time that I have gained from leaving my full-time job; should any one of them work out, I'll be in good shape
- we live within our means and have very little debt and a lot of home equity, so we can weather something unexpected for a good while
Combined, these factors have made it feasible to take a pretty big jump. Not a lot of educators have the temperament to be entrepreneurial, so this has been a stretch for me, but so far it's working.