Pondering the future - careers

[Robindianne]

Hello fellow dissers,

I'm a person who needs variety and change. I've been a teacher for going on 10 years, sped for nearly 5. I'm thinking in the next couple of years I'll want to veer off a bit, maybe pursue a related field. Has any of you done this? If so, what career did you go for and what did you leave? I'm thinking social work, psychology, or counseling maybe? Something with kids and parents still, just in a different setting maybe.

So, help me out. Any thoughts? TIA

 

[crazelion]

I would stay at the job I am at right now. Until the economy gets better.

 

[redlight]

Could you take classes in whatever field you want to go into at night and during the summers? I agree that you shouldn't give up your day job but there might be a way to prepare for your next job now.

 

[Robindianne]

Don't get me wrong; I'm not looking to quit. I love my job, my school, my principal, and staff. I just know myself and I'm thinking I'll want a change in the future so I want to be open to possibilities that come up, but don't know much about related fields or the experience of altering my future that way. Have either of you taken some type of parallel or similar career move?

 

[redlight]

I'm still working on my first career (I'm in grad school).

 

[horseshowmom]

Hello fellow dissers,

I'm a person who needs variety and change. I've been a teacher for going on 10 years, sped for nearly 5. I'm thinking in the next couple of years I'll want to veer off a bit, maybe pursue a related field. Has any of you done this? If so, what career did you go for and what did you leave? I'm thinking social work, psychology, or counseling maybe? Something with kids and parents still, just in a different setting maybe.

So, help me out. Any thoughts? TIA

You might consider counseling. There are several schools that have online Master's programs (I know there's a university in Alabama that does).

Another option that I was always interested in and really wish I had pursued was psychometry. It would be also be useful after retirement for part-time work (I know that psychometrists can be hard to find in our area).

 

[barkley]

i moved from teaching into social services, but it's allot different now than when i did it in the late 80's. most governement agencies have'nt done any new hires in several years, and the salaries have gone down, they have numerous unpaid furlough days, and the benefit packages are being severly reduced. as an example-when i hired in you were vested for retirement after 5 years, and you could continue your health care upon retirement at active employee cost. a few years ago my former employer changed the vesting requirement for new hires to 15 years of service with no option to continue medical (cost savings and they figured it would encourage the older staff to stick around until they qualified for medicare). because of hiring freezes people are doing double and triple the caseloads (we were supposed to be capped by law but with the government cutbacks, the fed waivers were being granted left and right to eliminate these caps "temporarily").

that said-with social services there's generaly speaking two categories of social workers. one category is required by law to have an msw, and (at least where i worked) they were used strictly for cps and aps. there was a huge turnover because of the nature of the job and it was largly employed with brand new msw grads who wanted to do a couple of years before they went into private practices. then there's the category that usualy requires at least a bachelor's degree in sociology or a "related major" (and teaching qualified), but some gov. agencies would hire someone with no degree. these folks worked (at least where i was at) in workforce services (administering testing to see if a person was job ready or needed to go into a ged or mental health program), in home supportive services (much like accounting only with a home visit aspect), childcare (again allot of accounting), igar (information, guidance and referral-basicly a switchboard that listened to a caller and then gave them the numbers of who they needed to contact for a specific need), and other "services" (but by the time i retired the trend was for gov. agencies to contract their services out so allot of what these folks had done for years was being taken over by community organizations).


if you're interested in social work pull up the gov. website where you live and you can usualy see the job descriptions for every cateogory within dhss (even if they are not currently hiring). it can give you a good idea of what the different classifications are, what kind of education/experience they want, and what the typical duties of a given job might be.

 

[bicker]

I would stay at the job I am at right now. Until the economy gets better.

Or stay at the job you're in now, until you know you want to a make a permanent career change. Bouncing back-and-forth may be good for the soul, but it won't necessarily be good for your long-term financial security.

Now, bouncing around may not be as bad, as long as you can tell a good story showing how the career changes you've made represent a progression.

 

[Helene]

If you are thinking about a career as a therapist, you may want to consider the MSW (Master in Social Work) route. In PA, you can get licensed within 3 yrs of completing the MSW and this allows for credentialing with the insurance companies as well as Medicare. LCSW's are highly sought after, at least in the area I live.

I have always worked in the behavioral health field and completed my MSW in 1997. After several years of working full-time and building my private practice on the side, I was able to resign from my FT job in September. The freedom of being my own boss is priceless and I really enjoy what I do.

Good luck in your search for a new career!!

 

[Robindianne]

Oh these are great thougths! Thank you. I've spent chunks of the day researching.

 

[Pumbaa_]

How long until you can have enough years in for retirement/pension? Make sure you consider that too!

 

[Robindianne]

Thanks for this. Do you know of any kind of forum (like the DIS) for social workers?

If you are thinking about a career as a therapist, you may want to consider the MSW (Master in Social Work) route. In PA, you can get licensed within 3 yrs of completing the MSW and this allows for credentialing with the insurance companies as well as Medicare. LCSW's are highly sought after, at least in the area I live.

I have always worked in the behavioral health field and completed my MSW in 1997. After several years of working full-time and building my private practice on the side, I was able to resign from my FT job in September. The freedom of being my own boss is priceless and I really enjoy what I do.

Good luck in your search for a new career!!

 

[redlight]

You could start a new thread with a title to get the attention of social workers. I don't know of any social worker boards.

 

[bicker]

How long until you can have enough years in for retirement/pension? Make sure you consider that too!

I've had five jobs over the course of my two careers - only the first offered a pension (and I believe that by the time I left that job, new folks weren't eligible). Everything since has been 401(k) only, with vesting periods counted with the fingers of a single hand. I suspect more and more people will find that to be the case.

 

[Robindianne]

I'll be vested in my current district next year. Was thinking of doing an evening education program for something where I could either move into a new position with the district I'm in (really like it but will need some variety in the near future), or not. Maybe MSW / counseling could do that for me. I just need a slight change or tweak to my current role to keep up my enthusiasm.

Interestingly, the "pendulum" of how we provide services to kids shifts every so often anyway and my role sometimes changes with that, but I just want options I guess. I saw where univs around here offer eve and/or weekend msw programs and that's a huge bonus for me since I don't want radical change to my lifestyle, but just a manageable shift to get me more excited again.

Thanks for all your replies. They've given me lots to think about.

 

[vettechick99]

I've been teaching SPED since '05 and am almost done with my counseling masters. I wanted change, like you. Hopefully I will get a chance to use my degree soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Robindianne]

I've been teaching SPED since '05 and am almost done with my counseling masters. I wanted change, like you. Hopefully I will get a chance to use my degree soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

Congratulations to you! Can I ask how you've managed school and sped - time, energy, paperwork-wise, etc? How long is it taking? Anything else you can tell me about it?

Please do let me know! That's so great and congratulations again. You must have worked very hard!

 

[vettechick99]

Congratulations to you! Can I ask how you've managed school and sped - time, energy, paperwork-wise, etc? How long is it taking? Anything else you can tell me about it?

Please do let me know! That's so great and congratulations again. You must have worked very hard!

I only take one class at a time, although this term I will have to take my last two, and fit in 100 internship hours. I'm a little worried

As for my regular job, I have a co-teacher and our grade shares lesson plans and Smartboard notebooks, so we hardly have to plan lately. I just need to do my portion of the lessons (I do spelling and vocab) and accommodate my SPED kids' classwork. We have a parapro who grades, although we do it sometimes. I honestly have it made - I'm not sure why I'd want to move.

Since you don't seem to be in any hurry, look into an online program (I go to UWA.edu) and go at your preferred pace. It will only take me 2y4m to get my degree and I took one class at a time and 3 terms off for my last baby. You could do it in just over a year if you take lots of classes at once.

GL - it's nice to have options!!!