I'm going to give this a shot because I'm stuck in an awful spot right now.

I'm currently a senior in college doing my student teaching for a special education degree. After the first nine weeks, I discovered I hate it. I love the kids and working with them, but the paperwork (you have LEGAL documents working with this population), the planning, and stupid amounts of "off-clock" work are things really making me struggle in the placement and academically (which I haven't before). Overall, I feel like my mentor doesn't have time for me and I'm constantly thrown under the bus for it, but my supervisor from the university doesn't see it or care for it?

I'm 90% sure I want to do something else, involving working with people, but the idea of more schooling and even more money into a piece of paper scares me. My initial thought was hotel hospitality?

So what I'm asking is:

• What do you guys do for a living?
• How did you end up where you are now?
• How happy are you with where you are now? (If you'd like to share)
• Do you have a suggestion for me or a "pearl of wisdom" when dealing with career changes or life advice?

Thanks in advance.

 

Nine years ago, after thirty-five years of teaching special ed, I retired. I loved the kids, and worked with some fantastic teachers. But the paperwork, the meetings, the legal requirements, government rules as to how my IEP's were to written, hours of testing, writing reports, rules that prevented kids from receiving help - well, you get the idea. So I quit.

If it were possible to get government agencies, special interest groups and lawyers out of education it would be a great place to work. As it is it seems more time is spent planning and 'being accountable' than teaching.

Those still in the field tell me it's worse now than it was nine years ago.

There's a reason the average special ed teacher only lasts about three years.

Don't assume you need more training to switch careers. There are many that see college as a plus when hiring, but don't particularly care what your field of study was. You may not start with a six-digit salary, but you wouldn't do that as an educator either.

 

My advice : if you hate it - then drop it fast

Decide what you'd really like to work at and the schedule that it would bring to you
in life ... for example service industries tend to have extended schedules and
potentially a lot of off hours to be worked , weekends etc. ...... is that viable for
you in the short or long term? Hospitality Industries can fit this scenario btw!

Also depends on what you know your personal strengths to be and where you'd like to
apply those aptitudes in a given study & qualification path or training & trade or
skill direction. There's also opportunities to be your own Business Owner - maybe
that would fit with your aptitudes - only you know or can find out what your personal
strengths are.

My only advice is to try to look well ahead and define some personal goals and
objectives it'll help you realize what is required by way of career and by default,
income levels to get there.

Ask yourself the question - where do I want to be in 10 or 15 years ? - then make
a plan man

&

Good luck with it - you'll do well just by nature of the fact you are questioning things
right now

 

Excellent post as always.
Same goes for a couple other fields.

 

DRam, that was a very fitting first post to this thread. Thanks for sharing your experience, I agree with what you are saying. I see it every day in my placement.

As you said though, what if I'm considering to complete my degree in special education? If you don't mind me asking, since you had a career path I wanted to pursue, what do you do now?

Sprock, thanks for your insight. My supervisor told me this and I'm just thinking about my options. It's so hard thinking and making a decision about what I really want to do for a long term job while in a time crunch for my student teaching position. I feel like the more days I'm spending thinking AND in my placement, I'm hurting myself and the kids.

 

For a couple years after retirement I tried selling educational software and found that as a sales person I stink. As an instructor, however, I shine. If you enjoy teaching that is something you might explore. Spending time in a workshop/training session is quite relaxing, or at least I found it so.

When the company I worked for pulled out of my state I once again retired, and am now a retired gentleman of leisure and spend my time with woodwork, mechanicing, riding, photography, ripping my LP's to computer and iPod and whatever honeydews the wife comes up with.

 

I'm in school for Mechanical Engineering, but I took my EMT-B class two winters ago and when I worked on an ambulance it was one of the most rewarding things I've done, and also fun.

It's also pretty quick to get your license, and move up to even a Paramedic (where you'd make good money). Start out as a basic and take your AVOC/EVOC so you can drive and you can find a solid job at an ambulance company, then see if they'll pay for your intermediate, and then Paramedic (some places do, some don't). I plan to retake my Basic and get certified this year in school, I'm looking forward to it!

Also, as a side note...if you love skiing you can take a bit more education for outdoor emergencies and do that in the winters (one of my goals).

 

It's been said that if you work for the money, it's a job. If you love what you do and being paid for it, it a career. Some will spend most there life as a starving artist, waiting for that one big opportunity that never showed.

Some people don't have a choice in what they want to do. Reason because of what life's responsibility....but if you can afford to make a career change, do it ASAP....how many 10 years we as human being have? For those thy don't have a choice, doing what you do for the money, remember to put money aside for a possible early retirement.

I believe we are born with nothing, leave with nothing. Do what you love....

 

Maybe you can turn your education into something else?

I went to law school *knowing* I wanted to be a gaming attorney. That lasted ... about a semester. Now I don't want to practice law at all, which is a little strange when all my classmates are working at firms / the District Attorney's office / the Public Defender's office / clerking for judges, etc. I think the law is interesting, I just don't want to deal with -other- people's problems (and, in particular, problems as mundane as licensing.)

So, now I'm planning to get a doctorate in philosophy and specialize in ethics. Then I'm going to try to teach law, and lobby the legislature to pass (what I think are) sensible laws, or to alter the existing laws to sensible ones, for advanced prosthetic devices. I can work on what I think is interesting, but still put my education to good use.

Maybe you could do something similar? In-house care for special needs kids, but employed by the parents and not the school district to get around the things you dislike? I don't really know much about your field, but being flexible seems like it's working out for me, and maybe it'll work for you too.

 

I have a degree in Anthroplogy from IU, which I originally wanted to do. The long hours sucked with minimum wage pay. I would've been more respected flipping burgers at McDonald's than by the over-dramatic pretentious Anthro Professors/Doctors. So I decided to drop that as a bad habit.
So I got career in a unrelated field of Logistics as a manager. I LOVE IT! I work with great people, because I initially lay everything on the table how we do things and everybody works together. My career is great because of the people and teamwork!
A lot of companies will hire you if you have interest in the field with "ANY" degree, shows you know how to work hard to get to a goal. Don't be disheartend, it takes time to find the right career. But don't jump at the first job offer that comes around. Interviews are a 2-way street. Make the interviewer sell the job/career to you as you do the same.