Where to go from here, as far my career in teaching goes?

Sounds to me like you have everything figured out, but if you really would like my imput I would suggest that before you finnish your forth goal you should consider specializing in your daycare teaching career. Perhaps specializing in the terms of low cost childcare that is where you’ll make a good profit.

@MorenoMelissa1 – Haha, I think you understood my question wrong.

I don’t plan to do all the 4 choices. I can only pick one, or two… but not all… :P I need help in deciding which is best.

@glow sorry what I ment to say was that you should do the fourth and speicaliz. Sorry.

I think you should, if at all possible, go ahead and get your Master’s degree. It will vastly affect your teaching career, from salary to advancement.

Ah, okay. When you said “before you finish your fourth goal” it sounded like you thought I meant to do them all step by step :P I would like to get a job in daycare, and I have already started applying, but it isn’t something I think I would like to make permanent though.

And yeah, @marinelife , the masters definitely will benefit me greatly. It is simply about getting enough money to get there… which having a day care job for would be nice, but I am not counting on getting a part time any time soon :/

I guess in way, the fourth option doesn’t really count, since it can fit into either 1,2, or 3. Sooooo, ignore that for now everyone, sorry xD

@glow are you considering applying for finaical aid to help you out?

@Glow The economy and jobs are picking up slowly.

@MorenoMelissa1 – atm, the only thing keeping me at my undergrad school is grants. W/o that option at grad school, I see little financial aid help. There are fellowships and assistantships, and assistantships seem to be more likely to happen than fellowships, but they only pay a portion of tuition. Another option is loans, but I want to stay out of that shark infested water…

And @marinelife it seems so. Even though, I would probably have to stay at home and work till I have enough money for grad school, and if I am going to do that, I might as well do option 2, but I am unsure if that is a wise decision. I can probably find out if I can transfer those community college credits to the grad school and if they will accept them should I decide to go there later.

You need to consider:

1. There is no time limit on when you can get your Master’s. You don’t have to go straight from an undergrad program into a grad school. You can take time off, work, save, experience the “real world” for a while and then go back. Your work experience, if relevant, can give you an edge over your competition when applying to grad school. Is it possible to attend night school for this degree?

2. I’m not sure how art works, but in my field, financing a master’s program is easier than undergrad for a lot of people. There are research assistantships, teaching assistantships (which you would probably enjoy), grants available you can apply for via your advisor/PhD, and you can always do tutoring or something on the side. Loans are not a big deal. The interest rates are not unreasonable and can be very good. They can improve your credit score. I know people that took out student loans, didn’t need it, and invested them in the stock market – they are making money on the loans. Point is the risk is not that big taking out a loan for school.

3. Where that MS degree in Art Education will get you. Will it help you achieve your career goals or is this purely a personal goal where you can get where you want to be without it? If it is purely personal, why do you want the MS and do you really need it?

4. You can always do #4 in conjunction with #1, 2, or 3.

What is the difference between #2 and #3? Where will the AA get you? Do you want to teach in public school?

@glow Walden Univirsity could be of help be of help to you too. The number for more information is 1–800-977–4154. I was searching and found it for you.

@lilikoi – Well, that is true, I can wait, probably a year at MOST. If I have no other choice but to wait, then that will happen, but I prefer not to. I have heard once people get out of school, get jobs, families, settle down, etc, they find it harder to come back. I do consider this as something that can happen to me. And yes, the teaching assistantships are definitely a good option for me, but they only pay a portion of tuition (according to the college website). I am not aware of any grants available for grad school, I guess I would have to speak to the adviser there about it.

MA in art Ed can help increase salaries, become better prepared for teaching, find jobs easier, be put as a priority over other applicants, and of course, it will make me feel better :) It isn’t purely personal.

and the difference between the AA and the Alternative certification is that the AA is simply that, an AA, which I wouldn’t mind getting if I can put some of the credits towards my MA later, and the Alternative Certification helps me obtain my certification to teach with out having to go to Grad school. In fact, it is possible that if I do the latter, I will not be able to apply for the Art Ed since I already have the certification. Im not 100% though, but this is what the website says.

And yes public school preferably :P

@MorenoMelissa1 , thanks, I will look into their website once I get the chance.

@Glow

You want to teach in public school, and Option #3 will fast track you to doing that. It sounds like the fastest way to get what you want, and the least expensive. If you do that for a while and save, get to know people, and make contacts you could be well on your way.

An associates degree sounds like a waste of time. I would be completely shocked if AA credits could be put towards an MA. At least on the sciences end of things, AA credits would never count towards an MS…but I guess the arts could be different. You should look in to that. An AA program is typically 2 years whereas Option #3 I am guessing is much less of a time commitment. Option 3 probably costs less, too.

I have heard the same thing about people having a hard time going back – what a load. If grad school is something you really want to do, you will eventually find a way to make it happen and you will go back. I have been out of school going on 3 years now, and will be going back Spring or Fall 2011 depending on when I get my braces off (which determines how soon I can start my world travel); I’ve already applied for Spring because I can defer to Fall. You are in charge of your life and your decisions. The people that gripe about it being hard to go back to school never really wanted to do it in the first place.

On the sciences end, many grants are available for research. Your adviser – the one with the PhD – will have to be the one that officially files the paperwork. That doesn’t mean you can’t search for grants and for someone to “sponsor” you. I don’t know anyone who has done this, and I know lots of people that have done grad school. I’d say 99% start their MS program without a clue as to what their thesis will be, and rely on their adviser to guide them and secure the funding. When I do grad school, I fully intend to do my own search for grants and bring them to my adviser. The information is all over the internet. It’s your degree, your life, your future, your program – you should not be afraid to take charge and you definitely should not rely on them to do the legwork for you (because they care more about their own research than you). I’m not sure if you’re interested in research, or how relevant this is to the arts. The point is, you need to take charge and track down the info rather than expect someone to give it to you.

In summary, you need answers to a few questions before you can make an informed decision:

1. Will AA credits count towards MA
2. Does #3 cost less in time and money than #2
3. Exactly how much will you have to come up with to attend grad school
4. Are there more affordable programs than the one you mentioned
5. Are there grants, scholarships, or other financial aid available to you
6. What would the terms of any loans be

I would go with #4 just to get some cash flow, while working on #1, 2, or 3. Once you start to make real progress towards 1, 2, or 3, you can decide whether or not to drop #4. If the AA credits do not count towards MA, and AA takes longer and is more costly than #3, I’d definitely go with #3 over #2. If you can figure out financing for MA, I’d go with #1 because you sound like you really want that Master’s. If financing doesn’t work out, I’d go with #3 (assuming it is a better choice than #2). Once you have your salary, you can calculate how long it will take you to save enough money to afford #1. Commit to going back to school when you have that money.

I don’t know you well enough to offer you advice on such a serious subject. Talk to your family about this.

@lilikoi – very good points, especially about going back to school. I never thought of myself as some one who would not go back, but I hear it a lot, even from my adviser.

That definitely sounds like a plan though. Nothing that is set in stone, considering how things in life change, but definitely something I should have seriously planned, and I do. I hate having to wait for my masters, simply because of money though. If the cost isn’t too much (currently $306.31 per credit hour) I will try and save up, but I guess if worse comes to worse I will have to try that alternative certification…

Never heard of research based grants… Gonna have to look that one up! :P Thank you @lilikoi for the good information. It has definitely got me thinking better.

and @evandad…. if you had no answer…. why did you even bother to post???

@Glow You’re welcome and good luck! Also keep in mind that tuition rates tend to rise a little over time.

Go for the masters. An AA won’t get you diddly. Don’t know much about 3. It isn’t online is it? Does this program offer placement services? Is alternative school teaching your choice? It might limit the number of places you could find employment. 4. Only if it is helping you pursue your degree—otherwise waiting tables might be better.

@anartist – haha, yeah, Im leaning less towards the AA now. The alternative thing though, not sure. I think you take some classes and then take the certification tests. Takes less time, costs less, but yeah, it probably does have less benefits than an MA in the long run. I was looking at salary pays for teachers with a bachelors and masters, and those with a masters made about 10–20 grand more than the bachelors did.

Meh, I hate having to wait… but I think I would hate myself if I didn’t get the MA. ):

Great! Go for it! And maybe you can find funding vor campus work to help you along. Best of luck.