Going back to school?

[SixToe]

If you were going to consider returning to school to study a trade or new career, what would you choose?

The mortuary business is pretty reliable.

 

[imjustagirl]

Teaching.

 

[WriteThinking]

Radiology, surgery assistant, pharmacology technician, or, maybe, nursing.

Medical field all the way...in fact, I am giving serious thought to starting on the road to one of those beginning next month.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I would probably teach.

I'd be a mortician for the right salary. I've already spent enough time in one dying industry.

 

[SixToe]

I've looked into radiology and physical therapy out of curiosity. They have outstanding projections for the next 15-20 years.

Both also have 18 to 24-month regimens that are virtually 8-to-5 non-paid programs, to begin at an entry-level position. When would you have time to work a part-time job, study and have a family life?

 

[93Devil]

Before you think teaching is the answer, consider what the guy pictured below and No Child Left Behind has done to the teaching profession.

Pressure-cooker kindergarten

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/08/30/pressure_cooker_kindergarten/

 

[93Devil]

My wife is a speech language pathologist. I would go into that before teaching a classroom.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Teaching.

Depends on what area of the country you live in. Some areas just aren't hiring teachers at all.


I've heard the Carolina area is real good for teachers right now. Great Lakes not so much.

 

[jfs1000]

I am going to head towards and MBA. Be a PR flack, write speeches etc.

I took an interview as a marketing copy writer once -- didn't get the job -- but for writing pamphlets for retirement packages it was like $65,000.

And, the writing stinks on those.

 

[93Devil]

Teaching.

Depends on what area of the country you live in. Some areas just aren't hiring teachers at all.


I've heard the Carolina area is real good for teachers right now. Great Lakes not so much.

In Virginia, we are not hiring anything.

We are doing everything we can not to lay teachers off.

This will give you an idea.

http://www.teachers-teachers.com/

If you do go into the classroom, science and math are good places to start.

PE, art, social studies, English, not so much.

You will always have a job in special ed, but you work your ass off.

 

[imjustagirl]

Teaching.

Depends on what area of the country you live in. Some areas just aren't hiring teachers at all.


I've heard the Carolina area is real good for teachers right now. Great Lakes not so much.

I've moved three times for jobs already. Why wouldn't I move for this?

He just asked what you WOULD do. I'm not actually doing it.

Yet.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

Music, specifically jazz and orchestra studies

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Law, possibly, though at 35 that boat has long since sailed for me.

Mayhap something new media related. Don't know if I have the smarts for an MBA, but I know people going that route.

There's always trucking school!

 

[Stitch]

Don't get a Master's degree to teach at a high school or grade school. A longtime teacher I know said that a lot of younger students get Master's and are the first one's laid off. They can't get another teaching job because they would make too much according to the union scale.

 

[Stitch]

Law, possibly, though at 35 that boat has long since sailed for me.

Mayhap something new media related. Don't know if I have the smarts for an MBA, but I know people going that route.

There's always trucking school!

You don't need to be smart to get a MBA. Plenty of corporate idiots I grew up with have MBA's and they made it through.

 

[EStreetJoe]

At age 40 I'm becoming a paralegal.
Not the big money that lawyers make, not as much schooling either, but it's still good work, decent pay if you get in the right place.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm

 

[RickStain]

I'm not going back to school until I've finished paying off my student loans and gotten enough money saved up to pay for it entirely in cash, so probably about five more years. I figure I've got some time to narrow it down. And then, it will either be me or my wife but probably not both. The key is job security and portability. We want to be reasonably confident we can get a job living almost anywhere.

Some options we've considered:

Me getting a masters in English. The pro here is that every community college in the country needs adjunct professors to teach Comp 101 and the like.

Me getting a law degree. I almost did this after I got done with journalism studies, but I couldn't justify the extra debt and we needed me to take a job right away.

Her getting a teaching degree. Again, the key here is portability. Everywhere needs teachers (although granted it can be cyclical with the economy).

One of us getting a degree in French. This is more the vanity option for if we felt financially secure enough to have some fun. You can make very good money as a private language tutor, and with the internet it can be a very portable job.

 

[Lugnuts]

Music, specifically jazz and orchestra studies

Good for you! I'm also doing something else 'out there' and far, far away from sports journalism.

What do you plan on doing with it?

 

[Fredrick]

Devil, how did your wife become a speech patholigist? How much schooling it it take? Teaching people 1-1 sounds much more fun than the classroom. The health profession sounds the way to go.

 

[93Devil]

Devil, how did your wife become a speech patholigist? How much schooling it it take? Teaching people 1-1 sounds much more fun than the classroom. The health profession sounds the way to go.

Four-year degree and then a Master's degree. It is not a quick fix, but I think she makes $33-$35 an hour now or something like that.