How do people decide what they want to be when they grow up?

[Hikin' Mama]

I've got 3 years left of my homeschooling career as my youngest just finished her freshman year. My oldest is out of the nest, my middle will be going out of state for college this coming fall.

 

I want to do something with my life when I get done with hs, but I'm not sure what. I have loved learning with my kids and am thinking about going back to school. I have a degree in psychology, and while I loved my coursework, I'm no longer interested in a career in that field. I love math and biology. I didn't realize that I liked bio until my last year of college when I took three courses to fulfill my science requirement. I would have taken more or even changed my major, but I had a baby on the way and needed to finish my education. I have been teaching a crossfit class to homeschooled teens and absolutely love this age of kids.

 

Based on the above, I'm thinking about working on getting credentialed as a teacher. It would take me about three years, but then I would be 51. Do I really have any chance of getting hired?

 

Another thing I've thought about doing is tutoring reading. My youngest is dyslexic and school has been incredibly hard for her. I know there are so many kids struggling in school like she did, but without the help they need. I could do this on a volunteer basis, but I only have experience with one student. How would I go about getting more experience?

 

What kinds of assessments can I take to see what my strengths are? Any other advice you can give to a middle-aged mom (who doesn't look or feel middle-aged) on how to choose her next steps in life?

 

Thanks!

[gingersmom]

:bigear:

[SKL]

I am pretty sure I will be so tired by then, I won't be "wanting" to do anything. Then after a rest I will, and it will probably be a lot like what I'm doing now, LOL. What I'm used to, what I know. Personally I feel I'm already past the age for extended full-time college (I'm 46), so a big new credential is probably out of the question. I like the idea of tutoring and such, taking work on in pieces and stopping at the point that feels like enough. I think there is a good market for such services, especially if you can be flexible for working parents. Not sure what credential, if any, the average parent would expect you to have.

[Katy]

Call your local community college and ask about career assessments.

 

Call your local university and ask about going back for a second double major in math or science (or even both) with a teaching certificate.

 

It will probably take longer than you think for a science degree because the prerequisites are greater.

 

When you are done with your degree there is another year for the teaching certificate - one semester of observation, one semester of student teaching.

 

It's my impression that there are not enough math and science teachers at the high school level, and if you went for both and also got the certificate for social studies you'd be a shoe-in to be hired.

[Ali in OR]

It should be easy to get more experience helping kids with reading. Any elementary school in our area would love to have volunteers (especially knowledgeable volunteers) come in to read with kids. If you check with the learning resource center or whatever they call the place that pulls kids out of the regular classroom for extra help, they might be able to use you to work with kids with reading issues to give you more specialized experience. I've known people who are reading specialists with the district--part time work they get paid for. I think some of these positions have been cut with education cuts in recent years, but in theory this is a field you could go into.

[Cinder]

I still have no idea what i want to be when I grow up. I am considering doing personal chef work. I love to cook and I have been to a culinary school. I can't see myself working like a maniac in a high end restaurant, but personal chef work might be more my speed.

 

I just met a woman who does this. Her kids had all grown up so she went to culinary school and now is a personal chef and caterer. She loves it because it combines her favorite things--cooking and working with people.

[SKL]

Of course this assumes one wants to grow up in the first place . . . .

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I say go with what makes you happy!

 

I hate "doing" school, HATE writing papers. Going back to school sounds like torture to me, lol. And having a 9-5 job every day doesn't sound much better either, lol- but that's me. If you want that, and it would make you happy, just go for it. Who cares how old you are! My mom is a nurse and is 53. She's planning on working for another 20 years!!

 

I was a military linguist prior to being a SAHM, and as long as I keep up/improve my language skills, there are lots of opportunities for me to get a job here. But honestly, by that time, I don't know if I will want a career.

 

When my days are free, and my own.....

 

I see myself traveling to visit friends and family. Taking road trips with girlfriends, or my kids on their breaks, if they'll go ;)

 

I want to volunteer with habitat for humanity, food link, soup kitchens, red cross, uso, etc.

 

I would love to garden, if we ever get a house with enough yard space.

 

I want to take up ballroom dancing.

 

Go to the gym and waist time going from the pool, to steam room, to pool to sauna.

 

Lay down and spend the whole afternoon reading a book!!!!

 

I see myself attending charity events- galas, auctions, masquerade balls and such.

 

If, for some crazy reason, I feel the need to work.... I can try the linguist stuff, but I could also see myself being very happy working at Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

 

I'm not very ambitious ;)

[fairfarmhand]

I just told my dh this morning, that even with the kids not doing school, I haven't had a singe day when I was at loose ends for something to do.

 

I forsee myself working here on the farm, writing part-time, maybe volunteering with our local 4H club or the FCE. I might even consider some part time work with the extension service. I'd like to go back to school simply because I love school, but if I am not going to "do" anything with the education, there's little point in formal classes. (though I am sure I will be continually learning)

 

OP, if you certify as a science teacher, I guarantee that you will find work even at 51. There's a great need for good teachers in these areas. Could you not tutor while taking college courses? I'd just put out an ad on a local homeschooling group and see what comes of it. If nothing else, some homeschool mom of many may just hire you to teach her first grader to read since that is SO AGONIZING.

[gardenmom5]

even at 51, I don't see why you couldn't get a job as a sub (i've known very popular subs who like the freedom of subbing. they only work when they want to.) - which can lead to a permanent. if the students love you when you're doing your student teaching (you have experience), that could easily lead a district to want you.

 

Many people change their minds - even in school they change their minds.

[gardenmom5]

Could you not tutor while taking college courses? I'd just put out an ad on a local homeschooling group and see what comes of it. I

 

 

you can also put out ads for tutoring on craigslist. some kids need regular tutoring in multiple subjects. some just want SAT prep work. depending upon what subjects (and how many subjects) around here it can pay up to $40 an hour.

 

eta: think carefully about what age students you'd want to teach . . . .

[Dahliarw]

If you want to teach, I would look into the requirements in your state before you decide. Here you have to go to school to get your initial certification. Then you have to go back to school (at night) after a couple of years to get your professional certification. And so on. It can get very expensive and time consuming. Plus you do have to deal with the teacher's unions, test-focussed priorities in schools, etc.

 

If you don't need the income, you could also look into volunteer opportunites in areas you're interested in. There are usually lots of places that need regular volunteers.

[Dandelion]

I've been thinking about this for myself too. Both my undergrad and graduate degrees are in business, and I had an almost 20 year career before staying home to homeschool. While I won't be able to go back to work full-time for several more years, I'm thinking about a completely different second career that might require going back to school. I'm 41 now and with the timeline I'm looking at, I would be close to 50 before I'd be done with school and the licensing process for this new profession.

 

Like you, I'm grappling with figuring out whether investing the time and money will be worth it, and whether this is REALLY what I want to do. Here are some things I've done or am doing as part of my decision making process:

 

- I've taken a few online career assessments, but didn't find them all that helpful. What's been more helpful to me is thinking through (and writing down) where my passions, natural talents/strengths, and marketable skills intersect. Similar to the process outlined in this blog post. I've done this a few times now, and with each iteration things become a little more clear.

 

- I'm doing some volunteer work right now that is allowing me to get an idea of what working in this potential field would be like. It's not exactly what I would be doing in that profession, as that would require a degree and licensing, but I'm getting exposure and making connections.

 

- I'm also thinking about what I could do that would be similar to this degreed/licensed profession, but without requiring the degree and license. There are some other options that could potentially provide the same career satisfaction and income, but without requiring me to go back to school.

 

- Finally, if I decide to pursue one of those alternative options (that won't require a degree), I would likely start up my own business. Before doing so, I plan to do some market research in the form of offering some workshops and seeing what kind of turnout/interest I get. If there's solid interest, I know that there's a potential market and a pool of clients for those services in my area. If interest is low, that means I either need to tweak my service offerings or I perhaps need to look at a different business altogether. Either way, it will give me an opportunity to gauge the market for the services I plan to provide before making a big investment.

 

Good luck as you figure out what you want to be. :)

[elegantlion]

You're going to be 51 anyway, right.

 

I'm in a similar boat, 3 years left of schooling. Now life has thrown me a curve and I'm having to reconsider my plans ( and grow up a little quicker too, ugh).

 

I'm 46 and I still want to do what I wanted in my youth. That would be my "grown up" career. Before that I'll have to get a job.

[Hikin' Mama]

Thank you for all your responses! I swear, there is NO better place for info and advice than the Hive!

 

And lifeoftheparty, I'm thinking your plans sound pretty good!

[milovany]

My career (aside from homeschooling) just kind of fell in my lap.I've been working in this field for four years, now, and plan to continue as long as I'm physically and mentally able. I had a friend who transcribed college classes in real-time, at our local university, for deaf and hard of hearing students. She and I talked about this a bit, and when all the transcribers that the university used up and quit one day (political and personnel issues), the door opened for me to step in and get a job as a transcriber. I worked for the university for two years and now have been working from home -- for students all over the country, via Skype -- for two years. I love, love, love my work and it fits well with our homeschooling lifestyle.

 

I'm not suggesting this work specifically, just saying talk with people, keep your ears open and think outside the box. I'd long been interested in deaf culture and sign language, I learned about the job by asking my friends lots of questions, and then when the job was listed at the university's website, I jumped. I didn't know then that it would become almost full time work a few years later, but it did and it's been a huge blessing to our family.

[Erin]

Were I you, I would sub for a while before going back to school. See if you really like it.

Homeschooling has very little in common with teaching in a classroom. (Speaking as a certified teacher, here, btw).

 

 

However, I'm one who LOVES to sub. :) I can take a pass on the classes that drive me batty or turn down a job that conflicts with a prior commitment. The one serious drawback, though, is the pay is 50% of contracted pay, and no benefits.

[FeFe]

I'm 36 and meeting with an advisor at our local community college tomorrow. I never went to college and I think it's time.

 

I volunteer a few times a months at our schools. Subbing might be a good option for you if you want to teach but have a bit of flexibility. In our district one must have 60 or more college credit hours to substitute teach (major doesn't matter).

 

There is also a job called an Instructional Assistant. Some pull kids out for extra help on reading. Some work with special needs and others assist in kindergarten all day. Then others float so their job is different each day based on need. No degree is needed for those jobs - at least not in our district.

 

Good luck!

[G5052]

Yes, make sure that you do some subbing before you commit so that you know what the environment is like these days.

 

In my state, they have a "career changer" program with a 1-semester crash program that leads to a provisional license. Then you are mentored for your first year of teaching and have monthly Saturday seminars which lead to a full license. The endorsement areas are limited, but I have several friends who homeschooled, did this, and are now public school teachers. I briefly considered it some years ago myself, but I decided to expand my college and online teaching instead. I've also taught local paid classes to homeschooled kids as a way of exploring what I enjoy teaching. I tutored for a while, but the logistics of managing individual students, payments, etc. was a bit of a headache. Tutoring wasn't a good fit with my family logistics.

 

If you enjoy tutoring reading, you might volunteer with a local literacy program.

[Matryoshka]

I had all three kids in school this year for the first time ever, so I had a lot of time to think about this.

 

I've been subbing since January. I really like it when I can teach something. Unfortunately, most subs can't, and in last-minute cases the teacher doesn't know which sub they're getting before they make the lesson plnas, so I often end up with lesson plans that include popping in a movie or having them read a book and answer the questions at the end of the chapter. :glare: Middle school is better for some reason, the teachers appear to have some confidence that a sub can pull off a real lesson plan. I've taught whole weeks of Spanish though, when teachers have gone on school trips, and that has been fun. I now get requested for Spanish. The qualifications to substitute teach are: A pulse. For what they pay, that's really all they can ask for.

 

If you want to be a full-time teacher, subbing can be a good route if you show you can step up to the plate - especially for science teachers. My friend started subbing with this in mind. She always wrote notes to the teachers with what had gone on in class, signed her name and said they could request her if they wanted to. Many teachers have favorite substitutes they call because they know that teacher can run the class rather than babysit. She also got to know the people in the school offices. One day she was called in to sub a physical science class where the teacher had just quit. He couldn't handle the class (he had come out of retirement to take that job, and the class was wild and he couldn't control them). When she realized there was an opening, she asked if she could actually teach the class for the week. They came in and watched her, and hired her by the end of the week. She's been teaching for years now. She did not have to go back to school (she has a BA). She did not major in science (last physics course she took was in high school), nor had she ever taken a single education class. But she's bright and engaged, does understand and effectively teaches the subject, and even managed that unmanageable class. She's now teaching the honors classes. The school only asked that she get certified within three years (which is the Praxis test). She studied hard but did not manage to get certified for Physics (she teaches freshman physical science, not physics - but the Physics cert. would have given her more opportunities), but she's now certified for Physical Science and is going to keep studying for Physics. The school will now help her pay for her Master's taken a little at a time while she works. She's also now got years of experience, those years also get counted for her pension. This was a much more effective route than if she'd gone back to school for a few years to study for a MA as a science teacher and then applied.

 

I also spent the spring taking a class in medical interpreting, which I think could be a good way to earn money part-time after the kids are off to college.

 

I'd love to spend my time after the kids are off visiting family and gardening and volunteering - but I'm not sure where the money from heaven would come from for this. We're big savers, but college is $$$ and with the interest rates being practically negative, I don't see any way we're going to save up enough to just live off it for decades. I'm going to have to work, so I've been looking at things I could do part-time and will be engaging but not have me bring work stress home with me. I think I may also find some way to get certified in teaching reading (I loved doing that), and putting out a shingle as a tutor, which pays much better than subbing!! I'm hoping I can get some referrals from the contacts I've made while subbing.

[Erin]

The qualifications to substitute teach are: A pulse.

Actually this completely depends on your state.

Some require nothing more than a high school diploma, some a couple of years of college, and there are probably a few left that require you to be fully certified.

[G5052]

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Actually this completely depends on your state.

Some require nothing more than a high school diploma, some a couple of years of college, and there are probably a few left that require you to be fully certified.

 

Yes, where I live it is actually quite competitive with the most qualified beating out the others. You're pretty much not going to get work unless you have a bachelor's degree with classroom experience.

[Matryoshka]

Yes, where I live it is actually quite competitive with the most qualified beating out the others. You're pretty much not going to get work unless you have a bachelor's degree with classroom experience.

 

Well, I do have a bachelor's degree - it's very possible that's a prerequisite - as has been mentioned many times, it's pretty much a prerequisite for anything these days. But no classroom experience outside of homeschooling and coop classes. But my friend had no classroom experience, and both my BILs had none either; they have both subbed long-term. My friend worked in hotels, property management, and real estate before her sub job. My BILs were in banking and mechanical engineering. They do all have BAs. So, a pulse and a BA.

 

Maybe they pay better in the competitive states. Here, you earn less per hour than you'd pay a teen to babysit one kid.

[Erin]

In my area, the individual districts set the pay, not the state...

[kohlby]

I'm not sure. I haven't figured it out completely and homeschooling is helping me put it off. I'll be 54 when the last child is done, and using hubby's retirement age of 65, I'm hoping to retire at 59. So, just 5 years to figure out. I am a former teacher - certified all subjects K-8 and math 9-12. So my initial plan is to do some private math tutoring once I know my youngest won't interrupt. I don't think I want to go back to the classroom for teaching though. There's lots I love about teaching, but lots I didn't care for as well. With private tutoring, there's very, very little I don't like. If you're uncertain, I'd put out the word that you're available for tutoring now to give you time to build up a client base and see if it's feasible. Do reading/science tutoring while you go back to school to get the certification. You may also find that by being a tutor, school districts start to learn about you - which can help when getting a job. I did a little private tutoring when pg with my first - and actually had two school teaching job offers that I didn't even apply for! A lot of districts have had cutbacks, so getting your name out there beforehand can help when you're up against 200 other people for a job. (As can going into a high demand field. Math seems to always be in demand, as is special education).

 

Subs in my state need very little. They get paid little too. They're qualified for babysitting and that's it. If I was out due to illness, I knew my students weren't learning anything from the sub. Some subs are better than others but there wasn't a single one on there that could handle middle school math, much less high school math. My friend worked in a district where subs needed to be certified teachers! So it really depends where you are. Since she didn't want to move, she knew she had to be a sub for several years before she would be able to get a job due to the competition. (Hers was high school English though).

 

Another idea is to not look at public schools. Private schools set their own requirements. Teacher certification is not mandatory in some private schools. Look around. Jobs are often less competitive since most private schools pay much less than public - and public isn't amazing where I am to start. So those needing the job for financial reasons, need to stick to public schools here. A third option is if you're in a high demand field that you're don't quite have the official certification for. If you see a job for AP Biology at a local high school and you know you're capable but don't have the pretty teacher's certification yet, it doesn't hurt to apply. If they don't find anyone else, they can give you a provision certificate. It means you're currently working towards certificaiton but don't have it yet. That's what happened to me when I taught 8th grade Alg I. I was certified for K-8. I even had an extra math endorsement for grades 5-8. But I needed high school certification since it was a high school level course. But they wanted me for the job, so I was given a one year provisional certificate so I could teach Alg I.

[Sara R]

I have the same job as milovany, transcribing college classes for the deaf and hard of hearing, except that I work in person on campus. Like her, I kind of fell into it and I love it. It's great for a person who is interested in lots of different subjects, has good language skills and can type quickly.

 

If you like math, you have lots of paths that can open up to you beyond just teaching. Have you considered computer programming? I hadn't thought of it until I transcribed a class. There are lots of self-study opportunities online and massive open online courses. You can learn quite a lot without setting foot into a classroom. There are tons of well-paying jobs out there with flexible family-friendly options. Some are concerned about age discrimination, but with the massive shortages of qualified people I am not too worried as long as I keep learning. Most hiring people care more that you are able to program than a specific college degree.

 

This is not a typical career path for middle aged women, and if you don't have a programming background I definitely recommend giving yourself plenty of time to teach yourself the basics before going forward. I think many women tend to not do well in programming because they lack that background knowledge that geeky high school boys teach themselves. But as a homeschooler you know how to teach yourself. Math skills, especially problem solving skills, are really important in programming. I'm about halfway through the introductory programming class and finding it challenging and fun.

 

My plan is to keep teaching myself programming things (through MOOCs or occasional college courses) for the next 5 or so years until my kids need me less and I'm ready for a full-time career kind of job.

[TravelingChris]

I looked into subbing. It was such low pay (10 an hour) that I didn't want to do it. Here, you only have to be a high school graduate to do it and I have advanced degree so no- I wouldn't do it for such low pay, high stress job. Since I now have a business, since I will be teaching two homeschool co-op classes, I will maybe also do some paid tutoring, this year.

[Hikin' Mama]

Again, thanks for all the input. Subbing is a great idea and I think they are in demand in my area. It would be a great way to get a feel for being in a classroom. I've been privileged to have awesome homeschool kids in the co-op and PE classes I've taught. I know they won't all be that way at school. Maybe I'll start researching how to tutor math. I teach it to my own kids, but they haven't really struggled with it. In fact, my middle excels at it. I'd probably need to learn some strategies for working with those who struggle with it.

 

Thanks again!