Weird Question...

[Juvysen]

So, I was half way through my masters in Elementary Education when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. My undergrad is in something completely different, and by half way through the degree, I was disillusioned and no longer interested in teaching. So I had had some grad credits in biology (I had started a masters in bio previously) and with those along with my regular El. Ed classes, it was only one more semester for me to finish up a degree in "Educational Studies". So, now I have an MS Ed... and uh, I really don't know what it's good for at all. They told me when I switched over that I could student teach some day and be able to teach in the public schools with it, but as I said... I'm no longer interested in teaching in the public schools. So, uh, what else is possible to do with it? Anyone know?

[Carita]

what about teaching education programs at nature and science centers or even museums and zoos?

I know that places like zoos - if you volunteer first, you can get righ tinto a paying position as soon as it arises.

[Juvysen]

Hm... wonder what that pays like.

I guess... I mean, I'm an SAHM now, and there's no real "reason" for me to work except that maybe we could retire early and pad our savings, but DH isn't even sure he wants to retire early. I guess I feel like if I were to go back to work I'd want to do something that... I wouldn't have been able to do with just my bachelors in biology. Because what's the point of having a masters otherwise?

Other ideas?

[Juvysen]

Ok, so I found this link: http://www2.binghamton.edu/soe/our-p...u-studies.html THAT is the degree I have... turns out it's just an MS in educational studies, not an MSEd (which for some reason I had thought).

This is so pathetic... I'm not even sure what they mean by:

Professionals, working in schools in non-teaching positions or in community colleges, human service agencies, or other settings dealing with schools or children, who would benefit from greater understanding of educational foundations.

I mean, I get that I could maybe teach in community college, but I have NO CLUE what the rest of the position situations would be. Gah... Honestly, I only got this degree to prove I could actually *finish* something.

[Ellien C]

Corporate training department? You might not necessarily teach, but you would prepare educational materials, usually for self-study. If you can combine that with some good web development skills and tools it would be very handy.

[kcparker]

You might be able to do something like work in an admin. position at a K-12 institution or a community college. You could potentially end up as some kind of corporate trainer, like the people who get sent around to colleges to train IT support people on how to use various software packages. You could probably work for an educational testing company like Pearson, ACT, or the group that does the SAT/MCAT/GRE (can't remember their name), or maybe a company like Houghton-Mifflin or McGraw-Hill that produces textbooks. I wouldn't consider teaching at a CC unless you could get a permanent, full-time position, but that might be a possiblity if you find a program that is training instructional aides or offering other AA classroom/teacher type degrees.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by kcparker

You might be able to do something like work in an admin. position at a K-12 institution or a community college.

That was my first thought. I have a friend that has a teaching degree but couldn't get an elem job. Some things she went on to do were -

• Director of Curriculum at a public school (a masters would definitely be a plus in this area)
  
• Assistant Director of a not-for-profit career services agency
  
• I don’t know what the title to this job was but she worked for some government agency where she would travel around to various schools and make sure the programs they were funding were “working”
  
• Now she works for a state university in a position focusing on student retention. Sort of a college guidance counselor, in a sense. If a student is struggling for any reason, she helps them evaluate their career goals, change majors if needed, connects them with financial aid and such.

[mamabutterfly]

Hi -
I had a very similar experience - actually, was also working on my MS in Education when I got pregnant (my second, though). Also ended up not feeling like I was likely to go into full-time elementary teaching anymore...
I've ended up in doing something I wouldn't have expected but which I *love,* running an adult education program. In this case it's a non-profit, funded by grants, administering a volunteer tutoring program and also teaching classes (reading, GED prep, job skills). It has turned out to be everything I love about teaching and the process of education, but a much more flexible schedule, and low-stress because there aren't any of the classroom management or behavior issues of a group of 20-30 kids.

Anyway, I don't know how easy this is to find in other areas of the country. I'm in Philly, where huge numbers of adults need basic education courses, so there are multiple non-profits working in this area. I imagine you could dip your toe in by volunteering, and feeling around with agencies that do that up there.
My point is, a Masters in Education is a relevant degree for multiple kinds of jobs in adult education too. I, for one, find it really interesting and rewarding (not high paying!) work.