"Getting out of the business" resource thread

I'm finally thinking about breaking from this field (and at 27 it's killing me, but I guess sooner rather than later). How plausible is the idea of pursuing a book editing or technical writing career?

 

I just left journalism for a teaching job in Florida and I'd have to say the Florida certification process is the easiest of all I researched.

Requirements are a degree w/ a 2.5 GPA and either a major in the teaching field or a passing score on the Florida teacher subject exam in the teaching field.

If you meet those simple requirements, you can get a three-year certificate that allows you teach while completing a few additional requirements for the five-year certificate.

To get the three-year cert., you must pass the FBI background check and have a job offer in an approved school (nearly all schools in Florida meet that requirement).

The requirements for the five-year cert. are completion of a teacher prep. program (nearly every college/university in the state has a prep. program for lateral entry teachers and they are fairly inexpensive) and pass a few more exams. You have three years to complete these requirements.

While Florida is in rough shape with respect to school budgeting, there are jobs to be had, especially in math, science, ESE and English. Go to www.teachinflorida.com or each district's site (typically www.///nameofcounty///.k12.fl.us for opps and aps.

I decided in December to leave journalism for education. I applied for a statement of status of eligibility from www.fldoe.org/edcert and had my transcripts sent to them. I then registered online for teacher subject exams, which I took in Atlanta during January. The exam results were automatically sent to the DOE, which then issued my eligibility letter.

Once you receive your eligibility letter stating you meet the requirements for a three-year certificate, you are eligible to be hired.

I immediately began applying for jobs via teachinflorida.com and the various district sites. It was a bad time of year for job searching (most hiring is done during the late spring and early summer), but I immediately received an interview offer from a high school near Tampa. I turned down the offer because the job was not guaranteed beyond the current school year.

A few weeks went by and then I received offers for interviews at two different public charter schools on opposite ends of the state. I turned one down, but decided to interview at the other. Things went well and I had an offer about a week later.

It's not my ideal job because it is a year-round school and I want summers off, but I get six weeks paid vacation per year, in addition to nine holidays and some additional sick days. I also receive a higher salary than the school district's nine-month staff.

Another great benefit is the school will pay for any training/education I want to complete (including books), so I'm going to complete the teacher prep. courses as part of a Master of Education that I won't pay a penny for.

There is a teacher here at the school who complains a lot about the job, but I just laugh. I just left a job that required crazy hours, offered very little pay (you know you are paid poorly when you get a big raise by becoming a teacher). I didn't have a single paid day off during the last year at my old job, but I received two paid days off during my first week here at the school. Hmm, I wonder if I made the right decision?

Anyway, if you would like advice on breaking into the teaching profession in Florida, just let me know.

 

This may be slightly off topic for this thread, but I wanted to have a conversation in light of the tragedy involving our fellow poster <a href="http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69872/">editorhoo</a>.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have no health insurance (or income) but need health care, what are your options? Where can you start?

I'll be doing some research on this later, but in the meantime please chime in with suggestions or information regarding your state.

 

You shouldn't have to go without health insurance. COBRA is always an option:
http://www.essortment.com/all/cobrainsurance_rgpl.htm

For no health insurance at all, the NJ FamilyCare program is available. Full details here:
http://www.njfamilycare.org/index.html

 

My cobra from my last job was almost $500 a month. With a job, I can't swing that, nevermind if I've been laid off. Most people in our jobs can't afford cobra.

 

forever_town's got a thread going on the same topic, please reference that thread:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69876/

 

I got laid off from my newspaper back in January, but I think my new job can provide plenty of help to anyone looking to get out or already laid off. I just started at my local Workforce Board and they have plenty of resources to use if you've been laid off. I know we provide free use of computers, copiers and printers. The Workforce Board also has networking and resume sessions to help you find a new job as well as a database of jobs to search throughout whatever state you live in or want to work in. It's all through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Some of the stimulus money went into local Workforce Boards, I know we received $4 million, and that's translated into plenty of jobs for the Workforce Boards. I started less than a month ago, and they've hired at least 5 new people since then to cover the two counties we operate in. I work with a ton of paperwork and do data entry, and the other jobs in our office require the skills that journalists have (dealing with the public, on the phone, working on a computer). My benefits are paid for 100%, plenty of paid time off, no holidays or weekends. It's been really good so far and I wished I'd known about it sooner when I got laid off. I hope this can be of help to others on the board.

 

Wow, that sounds cool. How would someone find out about the Workforce Board? Is there a website, or does it vary by state/county?

 

Stimulus money is available for retraining.

I was told a Web design program I was interested in can be paid for through money from Workforce. Ideal candidates are people who have been laid off in a field that complements Web design (namely anything in journalism). This program normally would cost $4,000.

 

If you're out of work and looking to make an extra buck, consider checking the etc. jobs listings on craigslist. I've already pulled in more than $2k this year doing focus groups and medical experiments. These aren't the kinds of gigs you aspired for when you were in high school, and there's a humiliation factor to being treating like a lab rat, to be sure. But the $ isn't reported, so it doesn't count against unemployment benefits, and can help out bigtime if like me, you're in a pinch. etc ads are listed on the bottom left corner of the jobs section. Some of the focus groups are easy and fun. And you get free food. Medical experiments are no fun but some pay very well.

 

I second searching on Craigslist. You can find a new career there also if look hard enough.

 

Desk_dude, do you know of a website that would have this information?