Alternative Certification-Teaching..Thoughts? (how much, find a job, school district)

[katfzl]

I have a MsEd and license in Special Ed and have been in Texas 12 months now. Only landed 2 interviews and am subbing. This state is TOUGH for teachers. I'm applying in another state and if I get hired my husband will do a transfer because employment for me as a teacher won't happen in Texas. Now if you are from here, you might have a better chance, as nepotism is rampant in the school systems.

[loves2read]

did you ask about the chances of getting hired before you moved here?
you probably stand as good or better chance of getting a job as anyone
I would have said you had a decent shot to get a job...
just goes to show how tight the job market it
and nepotism has always been a factor in getting a job in this part of Tx from what I have seen over the past 20 yrs--not just recently

[ExcellentUserName]

Why on earth does someone get a degree in sociology? You went to school and majored in something society does not value. Cut your losses. Take two years and become a respiratory therapist, physical therapist or occupational therapist and make 50k+ a year and never have to worry about a job again. Hate to be the only straight shooter here but spending a decade majoring in sociology and physiology is a self-indulgence that you will have to pay for moving forward.

...in before 20 replies on how a person needs to do what their passion is, as long as they vote for my tax dollars to fund their passion.

[fratermus]

Originally Posted by ExcellentUserName

Why on earth does someone get a degree in sociology? You went to school and majored in something society does not value.

Yeah, why not major in business or finance and screw the entire world economy. At least society doesn't pay the cost for that one.

Oh. Wait. Nevermind.

Not everyone sees college as a high end vocational school. Some people do it, you know, for an education. It's quaint, but it does happen.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by ExcellentUserName

Take two years and become a respiratory therapist, physical therapist or occupational therapist.

PT is a doctorate program that takes longer than 2 years. Also, it is going to be tough to get into PT or OT school with a non-BS bachelor's degree. These schools are very competitive because the field is so in demand!

[ExcellentUserName]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

PT is a doctorate program that takes longer than 2 years. Also, it is going to be tough to get into PT or OT school with a non-BS bachelor's degree. These schools are very competitive because the field is so in demand!

Its not a doctorate. You are incorrect. Many therapists dont even have batchelors degrees. I know few RTs who do.

And Fraternus your idea of a response is a straw man attack not worth a reply.

[jammer0225]

Originally Posted by ExcellentUserName

Why on earth does someone get a degree in sociology? You went to school and majored in something society does not value. Cut your losses. Take two years and become a respiratory therapist, physical therapist or occupational therapist and make 50k+ a year and never have to worry about a job again. Hate to be the only straight shooter here but spending a decade majoring in sociology and physiology is a self-indulgence that you will have to pay for moving forward.

...in before 20 replies on how a person needs to do what their passion is, as long as they vote for my tax dollars to fund their passion.

Why on earth would you care what I majored in?
Why on earth would I want to be a respiratory, physical, or occupational therapist? Is that what YOU do? News flash, you and I are different people.

Also, perhaps, and this is just a thought, maybe you should READ what I majored in. Psychology/Sociology. Duel Major...that you didn't pay for. I could have majored in education just as easily but low and behold there are no teaching jobs. Wouldn't have made a difference.

Now, do you have anything worthy of adding? If you aren't going to give a reply with a little substance, then move along.

[ExcellentUserName]

Originally Posted by ExcellentUserName

Its not a doctorate. You are incorrect. Many therapists dont even have batchelors degrees. I know few RTs who do.

And Fraternus your idea of a response is a straw man attack not worth a reply.

Let me clarify something. Specifically PT is calling itself a doctorate...that is unfortunate as I don't believe 100 credit hours of work which includes the 15-16 credit hours of one the job clinical training should be called a doctorate level degree. An MD must spend 4 full years in med school after college and then do at least 3 more years working an additional 8-12 thousand hours in residency. Its not even the same ball park.

That said, yes the PT degree is going to take more than 2 years. But that is one of the higher paying also with the ability to make 100k a year and usually 80k.
Ultrasound tech school is only 18 months. RTs, Nurses and many others in the hospital setting make 20-25 dollars and hour and in many cases far more. Physicians assistant programs, while more academically demanding than others, is also a 100k a year job for many.

And if you really want to talk about people who can make a livable wage without much school look at LVNs who make 20 an hour with only something like a year of training out of highschool.

My point here is that there are many options for people who want to make a livable to very comfortable wage. But you have to get past the self indulgence of thinking you can spend 4 years in college with a liberal arts degree and expect that the degree alone is going to confer upon you the ability to actually contribute to society. Maybe it will, but the odds that you will be able to convince a free willed human being to pay you 50K+ a year to use a skill you learned in a sociology classroom are slim. And the world doesn't owe anyone a good job. You have to have a skill that someone else values. Colleges have long ago lost sight of that and now people are paying a price.

[ExcellentUserName]

Originally Posted by jammer0225

Why on earth would you care what I majored in?
Why on earth would I want to be a respiratory, physical, or occupational therapist? Is that what YOU do? News flash, you and I are different people.

Also, perhaps, and this is just a thought, maybe you should READ what I majored in. Psychology/Sociology. Duel Major...that you didn't pay for. I could have majored in education just as easily but low and behold there are no teaching jobs. Wouldn't have made a difference.

Now, do you have anything worthy of adding? If you aren't going to give a reply with a little substance, then move along.

"Duel major"? My my.

Why were you working in a field that had nothing to do with teaching or your degree all this time? What did you major in Sociology/Psychology for? For fun? Did you have a job in mind? Was that job office management?

My knowledge is of the health care job market, but what I have said is applicable to other fields too. There are jobs out there. Lots of them. But if people want to be liberal arts majors they shouldn't surprised when no one is willing to pay them for that education. Your dream is now to teach? Ok. Well...good luck. My dream is to be a professional snowboarder. But I just got off a 24 hour shift 3 hours ago providing a service that people value and are willing to pay for. That is life for most working people.

I will apologize for being too abrasive. Obviously I dont know you and this isnt personal. I love psychology, I minored in it, but it was obvious at 18 years old that the country didn't value a psychology degree. So I picked a college degree that would lead to a steady reliable job. So you know it just strikes me as terribly inefficient and a waste of human capital to claw your way into a profession that is overcrowded as it is, especially with a degree that really has nothing to do with teaching middle school kids.

[jammer0225]

Originally Posted by ExcellentUserName

Let me clarify something. Specifically PT is calling itself a doctorate...that is unfortunate as I don't believe 100 credit hours of work which includes the 15-16 credit hours of one the job clinical training should be called a doctorate level degree. An MD must spend 4 full years in med school after college and then do at least 3 more years working an additional 8-12 thousand hours in residency. Its not even the same ball park.

That said, yes the PT degree is going to take more than 2 years. But that is one of the higher paying also with the ability to make 100k a year and usually 80k.
Ultrasound tech school is only 18 months. RTs, Nurses and many others in the hospital setting make 20-25 dollars and hour and in many cases far more. Physicians assistant programs, while more academically demanding than others, is also a 100k a year job for many.

And if you really want to talk about people who can make a livable wage without much school look at LVNs who make 20 an hour with only something like a year of training out of highschool.

My point here is that there are many options for people who want to make a livable to very comfortable wage. But you have to get past the self indulgence of thinking you can spend 4 years in college with a liberal arts degree and expect that the degree alone is going to confer upon you the ability to actually contribute to society. Maybe it will, but the odds that you will be able to convince a free willed human being to pay you 50K+ a year to use a skill you learned in a sociology classroom are slim. And the world doesn't owe anyone a good job. You have to have a skill that someone else values. Colleges have long ago lost sight of that and now people are paying a price.

I find it interesting that you think the medical field is the only way to make money and those of us with degrees in things you deem trivial are doomed to make pennies and live off your tax dollars. Do you realize that many nursing graduates can't find a job because the market is saturated with those who think like you? A medical field type degree does not guarantee a job. Period.

In contrast, I can work in social work, human resources, business, management, and be the medical social worker that you refer your clients to when they need assistance that you can't provide. I realize this is a bizarre concept for you, but, the medical profession isn't the be all end all of careers.

I want to teach. I can do that with my degree because I want to teach SPED. I'm not guaranteed a job in any field...no matter what my degree.

Business graduates...looking for a job.

Psychology graduates...looking for a job.

Nursing graduates...looking for a job.

Do you see the pattern?