Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I worked as a Teacher's Assistant with preschoolers and kindergartens for a year and I'm thinking about getting an associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. But I've read that the pay isn't good in this field what are the highest paying jobs in Early Childhood Education? I would then get a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and then apply for a Clinical Mental Health Master's Degree program.
Also, I'm currently taking a course to become an RBT (that's working with special needs children who have autism etc)
Associates degrees, by themselves, aren't worth the paper they're printed on. If you want to teach early childhood education, get a bachelor's degree in that. (You'll have to have it to get certified anyway.) If you collect an associates degree along the way, put it in the filing cabinet and move on.
If your ultimate goal is an MA in Clinical Mental Health, I would work some of the courses for that into the undergraduate program. Find out what you need to have on the transcript to be accepted into the MA program you want, and take those courses as part of your BA program. I doubt you can just go from a BA in Early Childhood Ed into an MA program in Mental Health without the right type of psych classes on your undergrad transcript.
It's the same regarding gong from Early Childhood Ed classes at a CC into a similar program at a university. Make sure your CC courses will transfer over to the university you have in mind. The way to make sure is to check not only with an advisor at the CC, but to check with the admissions office at the uni you hope to attend. Invest some time now in getting all your ducks in a row. You can email the university admissions office with your questions, and call academic advisors at the university with questions.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,685 posts, read 81,437,637 times
Reputation: 57943
My wife started down that path in college, but with too many in that field then (1970s) she switched to Psychology. She ended up working as a Special Education Paraeducator and ELS teacher, just retired. Yes, even a full Special Ed teacher is underpaid, and also overworked. They tend to burn out in 4-5 years and go to teaching regular classes. In our local district with MA degree starting is only $65k, and the top step maximum pay is $102k, not nearly enough to buy a house here without a working spouse, since the median home price is $1.6 million. Teaching requires a certain amount of personal passion for it, Special Ed even more so.
You would be better off switching your major to social work and getting a bachelors in social work, with what you have in mind as your career goals. With a BSW, you can then be on the fast track one year MSW program and arrive at a much better degree than the MA in clinical mental health.
If you really want an associates, then get one in Addictions counseling, so you can get licensure in that field.
An associate's in early childhood education may give you a bit of an edge at maybe getting a job at a daycare or preschool, but that's about all it will be worth.
To be honest, why not just get a general studies associate's? All those courses will need to be taken anyway if you go on for a bachelor's.
If you go for the associate's make sure to have a meeting with an advisor first and make sure there is a transferrable learning track with a university partnership in which all those classes with count for a bachelor's. If not, you're only wasting money, because that means that not all your courses will count and it'll take you longer to get the bachelor's degree than two years full time afterwards.
An associate's in early childhood education may give you a bit of an edge at maybe getting a job at a daycare or preschool, but that's about all it will be worth.
To be honest, why not just get a general studies associate's? All those courses will need to be taken anyway if you go on for a bachelor's.
If you go for the associate's make sure to have a meeting with an advisor first and make sure there is a transferrable learning track with a university partnership in which all those classes with count for a bachelor's. If not, you're only wasting money, because that means that not all your courses will count and it'll take you longer to get the bachelor's degree than two years full time afterwards.
This is good advice.
I have known students who have lost a huge number of credits when they transfer to a 4 year university, and others who transferred 100% of their credits. Best to meet with an advisor and get things all mapped out.
Whatever OP chooses to do, first is to find out the prospect for jobs by the time she gets the degree, and whether they pay enough to justify the cost of the education she will need to get to qualify for them.
I would comb the job openings in the area where OP resides or plans to reside to see what the jobs pay and the demand for those jobs.
Whatever OP chooses to do, first is to find out the prospect for jobs by the time she gets the degree, and whether they pay enough to justify the cost of the education she will need to get to qualify for them.
I would comb the job openings in the area where OP resides or plans to reside to see what the jobs pay and the demand for those jobs.
A diploma isn't a job.
No. A DIPLOMA is an institutionally conferred piece of paper.
A degree in Early Childhood Education is the ticket that the OP needs. In many states, she can get an Associate Degree in Applied Science or education, where she lives.
In some states, they will not need a B.S.Ed. In others, she will have an amount of time allotted, in which to obtain their Bachelors.
Find out what the laws are in your state, and if you intend to teach there, plan to stay there, at least for a solid 3-5 years.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
