Mom hates it...Bad Future Plan?

Parents Forum
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<p>I always cringe a bit when I hear people say they’re not going to do such and such a thing because it’s not in demand or the prospects are bad. Yes, journalism in the traditional sense is a hard field to get into these days with so many papers going bankrupt, but if it’s what you really want, you shouldn’t let level of difficulty stop you from at least trying. It should instead be an incentive to work harder. Get a higher GPA and qualify for really competitive internships that will make you the most attractive to those employers who are hiring, even if there aren’t that many of them. Also, you may be thinking too small. Traditional journalism (newspapers, TV journalism to some extent) is shrinking, but there are lots of non traditional outlets that are growing fast, easy to get into as an entry level person. I live in DC and a lot of my friends are professional bloggers. They work for think tanks or lobbying groups or news organizations like the huffington post or the Daily Beast and they blog for a living. It’s highly influential, deep, serious journalism, but in a new format that’s becoming more not less popular. And there’s also radio. I have a few friends in New York who are making serious in roads to working for NPR or PRI or similar companies doing radio news and op-ed pieces. If you want to get into journalism, there isn’t just one way to do it. You could also become a technical writer if you’re looking for something a little more 9-5. These are highly in demand people with strong writing skills who create technical manuals for all kinds of products and industries. More fun than it sounds. </p>

<p>Right now though, it all seems a little premature. Do you even have a major yet? Have you found something you’re passionate about studying? You’re only a first year, take some education classes and preferably do some student teaching and see if it’s really something you want. Because having been raised by teachers I can honestly say you’re going to have to really love it and feel you’re doing it for a reason that matters, or you’re just going to be miserable. </p>

<p>And don’t think teaching is a cushy lifestyle with lots of vacations and so on. Teachers spend a lot of the student breaks working, either teaching summer school or studying to earn master’s degrees in order to get better paying teaching jobs and advance their own skills. Days that students have off like columbus day or labor day teachers spend in school preparing. Teachers often have to spend their own money to buy supplies as well, unless they work at a wealthy school or in a wealthy district, so your salary doesn’t go as far as you think it will. A few trips might be reasonable, but between paying bills, rent, living expenses, healthcare, you might not be able to save as much as you think. </p>

<p>I’m not saying this because I think teaching is bad, I think it’s the best and noblest of professions, and I think we need more smart, motivated, well educated people in it. But you should just think about it.</p>

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<p>Not sure what city you live in, but the BreakThrough Collaborative is a great internship to get teaching experience. I think you mentioned that you are African American, which would probably improve your chances of being hired; BreakThrough serves underresourced inner city kids with college potential, and they like to get minority teachers because so many of their students are minorities. It might be too late to apply for this summer (my daughter planning to teach in St. Paul this summer for the third year, and their apps are due on Monday…), but after your sophomore year you could apply. You probably wouldn’t teach a foreign language, though, as they don’t offer them at most of the programs.</p>

<p>My kids’ school offers Chinese, but they only offer a couple of years of it. The issue for many schools is that they may want to offer Chinese, but they already have teachers in place for other languages (at our school it is Spanish & French) and they can’t just “retool” those FTEs for Chinese :slight_smile: But at least one of the big public high schools in our city has offered Chinese for about six years. So I think it is expanding. If you double major in Chinese & Spanish, you probably make yourself more employable as a teacher. One of our teachers teaches both French & Spanish. She also offers tutoring for $30/half hour in both languages, so she supplements her income that way. I am not sure if public school teachers could do that, though.</p>

<p>If you really want to make a difference in kid’s lives, then I say go for it. If this is about the salary, then don’t do it.</p>

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<p>SmithieandProud, I know my S’s journalism major friends would advise OP to stay away from the major like the plague. They did well in school, did multiple internships during the summers and school year, and graduated just as the world changed. Now there are simply no jobs to be had in the field. They are competing with laid off journalists with tons of experience. Bloggers earn very little, and have no job security–they are basically freelancers. It’s completely unclear what the field of journalism will look like ten years from now, and I think OP is wise to avoid a career path so rife with uncertainty.</p>

<p>I would advise OP to hone and keep up her Spanish skills. More and more jobs in a multitude of fields require or prefer candidates to be bi-lingual.</p>

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<p>Your plan sounds reasonable to me.</p>

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<p>Don’t know where you heard that Spanish teachers are a “dime a dozen.” Our hs principal beat the bushes for over a year to try to find a qualified Spanish teacher, without success - see D’s story, below. The Principal told the Parent Council that qualified Physics or Spanish teachers could pretty much name their salary. (Which isn’t a reason to go into teaching, but might be something that would sway your Mom).</p>

<p>My D spent a year with 2 “certified” Spanish teachers who were beyond awful, but they were the only certified Spanish teachers they could hire on short notice when a long-time Spanish teacher became seriously ill 2 weeks before school started. One could NOT speak Spanish - she mixed in English words in her sentences, we don’t know HOW she became certified. She was fired at Thanksgiving. They brought in a guy who knew Spanish but couldn’t teach. At parent conferences he told us he “didn’t believe in homework” (to learn a foreign language???) and D said they played games all year. Their final project was turn turn their Facebook page into Spanish (hello, there’s a button on Facebook that does that). He was fired the day before the department-wide Final exam and the very apologetic head of the Foreign Language dept promised the kids their exams would be scaled because the school knew they didn’t learn anything.</p>

<p>So if you wanna teach Spanish, come to Massachusetts. We need you.</p>

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<p>You might look into Department of Defense teaching opportunities. They hire American teachers to teach military kids on bases around the world. That’s travel opportunity plus a decent salary and benefits. One friend of mine taught in Korea, Japan and Germany.</p>

<p>The catch? They take only the best. They pick and choose and you had better be an outstanding teacher with reasonable physical fitness to have a shot at it. </p>

<p>I very much hope you will read “The Big lie about the 'Life of the Mind” by Thomas Benton at:
[The</a> Big Lie About the ‘Life of the Mind’ - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/The-Big-Lie-About-the-Life-of/63937/]The”>http://chronicle.com/article/The-Big-Lie-About-the-Life-of/63937/)</p>

<p>And have your mom read it too. Getting a PhD is very, very expensive. Can you pay for it? If not, it could be a horrible debt load with no guarantee of a job. </p>

<p>Governments often fight “the last war” – they load up as if the situation today was the situation the last time they had a battle. Moms are the same. A professor was a revered, well paying situation when she was your age. These days many colleges are moving away from granting tenure (see the horrible saga of the Huntsville professor) and, instead, are working young PhD’s like crazy for poor pay and poor security. </p>

<p>Pay attention to housing costs. $50,000 sounds like a lot in the Midwest where you might get a very nice apartment for $500 a month. But it won’t go far in an East coast city where a total dump might cost $1,500 a month and reasonable housing might be $3000 a month (no kidding!). </p>

<p>There is also compromise. You can honestly tell your mom that you would be a stronger PhD candidate if you had some work experience before grad school. This is the truth. You could teach a few years and then pursue the PhD. Having that experience might get you a PAID path to the PhD because you would be much more likely to be hired as a college TA. Good luck</p>

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<p>In terms of travel, I know plenty of teachers who use their summers traveling the world. Some of the high school teachers I had spent summers in Europe (not extravagantly) or teaching summer courses or pursuing a hobby of their own. The teachers who can NOT afford that are typically the ones with kids, an income of less than $40,000, with a house and a car to pay for. Now, a single or married woman with no kids, a small apartment, and no car (uses public transportation) could easily do some traveling with an income of $40,000 (that’s after taxes). Plus, I’m pretty frugal.</p>

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<p>That is true. I have considered nursing, but…science isn’t my field, and I don’t think I could stand the sight of blood. Accounting, according to my now accountant father, is pretty dry, boring, tedious work. But it pays decently and accountants will always be needed.</p>

<p>I honestly haven’t visited my career center (only for my resume), but I’ll definitely look into that.</p>

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<p>Chinese is pretty limiting in terms of teaching, but if I ever decided that I wanted to get in business, then that would be a great skill to have. </p>

<p>Hey moonchild,

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<p>Yeah, unfortunately I was never good at math or science. Where I plan to teach has a high demand for them, but the state also is in desperate need of special education teachers and bilingual teachers. I could teach math…at a lower level. Science…yikes!</p>

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<p>At the school that I attend, a master’s degree is considered that teaching license. They call it a “master’s of education and/or arts”. It’s basically one year of graduate school. Also, the reason I would get a master’s degree is because schools would pay more. Having a B.A. in many areas just isn’t going to cut it. The state in which I plan to teach pays a teacher more if they have a Master’s in Education in the social sciences versus a teacher who only has a B.A. in the social sciences. That’s why I want to get a Master’s. It’ll give me an advantage…or a disadvantage. Depending on the school district.</p>

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<p>I’m no expert, but</p>

<ol>
<li><p>As a full time working Mom, I wish I considered lifestyle more when making career decisions. Our family functions fine, but it would sure be less stressful all around & less guilt on the sick/snow days if I had structured a career that better aligned with raising a family.</p></li>
<li><p>I know plenty of teachers who travel extensively. It is creative traveling & not pure leisure, but travel none the less. Plenty of teen travel groups hire teachers to oversee kids summer programs. People to People has been very good to a particular acquaintance of mine.</p></li>
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<p>Yeah. I plan on getting a master’s in education beforehand. Then go into the teaching field. </p>

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<p>May I ask: Do you have kids? An income less than $50,000? A car? A house? Those are things I won’t have for at least another ten years. I plan on waiting to have kids, only using public transportation, and living in an apartment w/SO. I’d trade the house and the car for traveling anyday of the week. </p>

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<p>My mom lives in this fantasy where I’ll be some best selling author and make millions of dollars or perhaps a college professor. She thinks I could do better, but she isn’t being realistic. Maybe I could be a college professor. MAYBE I could make millions of dollars. But I know for CERTAIN that I could be a high school teacher in a state with a big problem with teacher shortages.</p>

<p>Funny. She was a high school teacher once… </p>

<p>Hey anxiousmom,

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<p>Teaching is one of those fields where you put as much time as you want to. You can put in 8 hour days and be a “good” teacher of 12 hour days and be a “great” teacher. Teachers have more control over their days then a doctor or an engineer. Grading is one of those activities that a teacher can control. How many assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. are entirely up to them. I know of some teachers that were great but didn’t spend the entire weekend grading papers because they didn’t assign much homework. I also know teachers who procrastinated and never gave back papers or took months to give back simple assignments/tests.</p>

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<p>Freelancing is something a teacher could do during the summer. But as a full-time job? Heck no. I would love to have a regular, stable income and security. There are other ways I can do journalism and writing, and I could even write a novel if I wanted to.</p>

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<p>That’s what both parents tell me. And I agree 100%.</p>

<p>The irony of all this is that my dad knows of a woman who went to the same school as me. Was a journalism major and had fallen into the grad trap. Now she is teaching Spanish. </p>

<p>Hey Lafa,</p>

<p>The reason I think Spanish teachers are a dime a dozen is because Spanish is such a popular major/minor at some schools. It seems as though the majority of students are learning Spanish, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that teaching Spanish is a competitive field.</p>

<p>And I love Boston, so MA is up for consideration.</p>

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<p>I live in Maryland, in a county with a very well regarded public school system and Chinese is taught in several high schools. Arabic, Russian, and ASL also besides Spanish (common), French (getting rare), and German (non-existant). There is even a Chinese immersion school. </p>

<p>There’s also probably a hiring freeze now because of the economy, but that shouldn’t last long. </p>

<p>You could also teach ESOL as well because you wouldn’t have to be fluent in any other language, but it would be helpful to be at least a bit proficient in Chinese, Spanish or any other language.</p>

<p>Chinese would be a great major simply because China is an economic powerhouse that will only get stronger. Many businesses and industries will need people who can speak Chinese. And you could travel easily and freely as a translator in China, or a translator anywhere else for Chinese tourists.</p>

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<p>I don’t think living in Maryland without a car will be as easy as you think it will be.</p>

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<p>I think you are a little ahead of yourself as a first-year.</p>

<p>HS teaching is a fine career, but you can wait a bit on deciding if that is what you want to do. Do some volunteering in schools, for instance. Major in what you are interested in: you can teach with a BA in a subject you like, initially.</p>

<p>The job market does not fall in these neat categories. Enjoy your education and other aspects of college. Explore your interests. When you graduate, there will be opportunities that you cannot necessarily conceive of, that fall outside the easy definitions that kids grow up with, such as “doctor, lawyer, teacher.”</p>

<p>If teaching is something that you have a passion for, after you have tried it out, then you can plan on going to grad school for education at some point. You could also do “Teach for America.”</p>

<p>I would be proud if any of my kids ended up teaching high school, but first, I would want them to enjoy learning at college without too much vocational pressure. That’s just me, but I think that staying open about the future at your age, actually yields better opportunities than being too rigid about future plans.</p>

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<p>Starting salaries usually reflect the cost of living in that location. Beginning HS teachers I have known put in horrendous hours their first few years, because of the need to prepare for classes. In addition, this is VERY true:</p>

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<p>Your plans seem to be largely dependent on being substantially supported by your BF. Will he be thrilled with the idea of you gallivanting around the globe during the summer while he stays home and works in hot humid MD? What if you break up? What if he decides that it is time to get married and start a family? What if you get pregnant by accident? (And yes, this happens to people who are faithfully using birth control.) What if, what if??</p>

<p>While it is certainly reasonable to try to position oneself for a lifestyle that accommodates a family, life has a way of intervening and throwing the best laid plans awry.</p>

<p>If you enjoy languages, then by all means pursue them. If you enjoy teaching, by all means develop that skill as well. But keeping your options open will serve you better in the long run than making firm plans for the next 15 years.</p>

<p>BTW, if you are interested in traveling and love languages you might want to consider the State Dept or an international business or an NGO. Think about all of those things while looking for internships in coming years.</p>

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<p>Besides math, science and special ed teachers, I think that ESL teachers are in high demand. You might want to look into that.</p>

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<p>I first want to say that teaching is not my field, but I do want to share my sister’s experience because of what the OP said in her very first post about teaching in college being a cake-walk (don’t remember which exact words she used, but that was the idea).</p>

<p>When my sister figured out she wanted to be a teacher, she did the whole certification thing and student taught in a HS. Hated being with the HS kids and decided she wanted to teach on the college level. She went and got two master’s degrees and a PhD, which was extremely stressful as she was teaching at the time. She currently teaches at a community college which is known to be one of the highest paying CCs in the country - however, she also teaches in a master’s degree program at a private school nearby AND coaches two seasons in her sport. Plus, she has to publish and do presentations at assocation meetings. The house she and her husband bought is near a parkway because of all the back and forth she does between the two schools. </p>

<p>They have a small house and no kids. There is no way I would call her college teaching job(s) “cushy” by any means.</p>

<p>Here’s what my father told me growing up and I really believe he was right. You need to do something that you WANT to do, something that you LOVE. That’s the only way you will be willing to put in the time and effort to be successful.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I agree that teaching is a calling. We don’t need teachers who are there only for the paycheck and summers off.</p>

<p>That said, surprising things can happen.
Our son began undergrad as a music performance major. Surprising to us, he switched to music ed after freshman year. His advisor had suggested it but we were still surprised he embraced the idea. The advisor assured him that it would not ‘water down’ his music requirement (which was a concern of DS) but only ADD additional classes for the NJ teaching certification at graduation.<br>
True enough, he was somewhat overwhelmed with the required classwork in addition to long practice session to pass his juries. He found he loved the educational pysch classes and ended up student teaching his last semester in a school adjacent to his own HS district.
He helped supervise the HS marching band week in Aug before the school year began and loved it. He was assigned a semi -retired teaching mentor known to be demanding.
DS adored the man and felt he learned an incredible amount from him.
DS was assigned one concert, selecting the pieces, rehearsing the band, conductiong the performance. I could hardly contain my pride watching him with the baton in hand that night. </p>

<p>Son is now in a master’s music performance program. He will perform after graduation but it may be full time or in conjunction with a HS teaching position. He had been contacted after undergrad about teaching openings in our area, so I do know that he had to have made a positive impression on his supervisors. If he teaches, he will put his heart into it. He saw what it was like to really connect with teenagers and he loved it. </p>

<p>So, students mature as they move through college, that’s part of what the whole experience is supposed to be about. I’m happy that DS allowed himself to pursue teaching because it exposed strengths and interests he didn’t know he possessed.
It was good move for him whether he eventually teaches in public school or simply utilizes those skills in some other field.</p>

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<p>Actually the bloggers I know in DC make good salaries (not the highest of us all, but in the ballpark with the rest of us staffers/government worker/think tanker types), with benefits and job security and they work in a normal office, not at home as freelancers. Many of them are featured on national television and radio shows, sought after to comment on issue like the healthcare bills. </p>

<p>None of them however majored in journalism, and I would discourage someone from majoring in that or in going to grad school for journalism even if the market were better. There are lots of majors that prepare you for a career reporting/commenting/analyzing the news and current events. Several of my blogger friends were political science majors for example. More and more organizations (think tanks, congressional representatives, lobbyists, consumer advocacy groups) want people who are savvy about the news and strong writers to blog for them and promote their policies/organization in social media and in the blogosphere. It’s a growing field. </p>

<p>I’m not saying the road is certain or that the road is easy. Many of my friends spent months underemployed while they waited for their good job to come in. I’m just saying that if you want to be a journalist, there are ways to do it, and you shouldn’t let the uncertainty of the field stand in your way.</p>

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<p>There’s plenty of demand for Chinese language teachers, but obviously the best jobs are going to go the most fluent speakers. If you are a non-native speaker, I’d really recommend spending at least a college year abroad in China. Check out the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing.</p>

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<p>S1 decided to forgo med school (after the premed requirements were met!) and work in education. He simply said, “All the relatives expect me to be a doctor, but I want to teach little kids.” I support him on this. He has found a job for next fall in an elementary school where he will work for a year or two, and then go to graduate school. He was offered a spot in the grad program in a top private known for its graduate program in education (full-ride), and has also said no to that right now so he can get some experience (inner-city, very low SES school) beforehand. I could not be more pleased with his choices. I believe education and teaching to be one of the great professions one can choose.</p>