Time For An Update On My Life

Hello ten readers!

I can hardly call you readers when there is nothing to be read.

Well, I have finished last part of my non-elective formal schooling. College was never a maybe for me. It was always something I assumed had to be completed. First you go to elementary school, then middle school, then high school, and then college. I assume one day, if I ever find a traditional job as a public school music teacher, I will work on a Master's degree. However, it may not be in music. Unless I develop some kind of passion for a facet of teaching I don't currently have, I assume I will try to earn a master's degree of the purpose of earning at a higher pay scale. Currently, most school districts pay based upon the number of years a teacher has been teaching with the district and based upon the number of units a teacher has beyond their baccalaureate degree. Simply put: the more units you have beyond your bachelor's degree, the more money you get paid.

I chose to say "the more money you get paid" versus "the more money you earn" because there is no correlation between the more units a teacher has making them a better teacher. With our current state of the economy, soon government will force teachers to be evaluated and will adjust their pay based on performance. I am not totally against this idea. People in general should be paid largely based on their performance, and I don't believe teachers should be an exception. In high school I was a victim of too many crappy teachers who had already obtained their tenure and in turn decided it was "OK" to babysit classes rather than teach them. And I went to a good school with good programs. But I still found myself sitting in these type of classes. If I was in an accelerated program and I occasionally sat in these type of classes, students in the mainstream population must really receive the crap education that is so often shown in papers and on the news.

But back to the original point, if it is still profitable for teachers to earn their masters for higher pay when I find a PS teaching position, I probably will go back to school one day.

But for now I am finished.

And today I find myself without (official) employment. In our current economy there are no jobs available for anyone let alone people with degrees. At one point while I was earning my degree, I had three jobs. Now I find myself with none. I fear that when I submit applications I am passed over because I list a degree under the education section. A person in HR once told me that they often passed over applications and resumes listing a bachelor degree when they were hiring for an entry level (aka minimum wage) position because they knew the person would be unhappy in the position. At this point, I would LOVE to be earning minimum wage.

I wonder if I should leave my bachelor degree off my applications when applying for a job. I don't want to be passed over for any reason. Even minimum wage will pay my bills.

I promise a more optimistic post later. There are some promising things happening in my life right now too. But it's always easier to bitch than to brag...for me anyway.

On the plus side, no job has offered me lots of time for knitting. If you are on ravelry, you can check out my latest FOs. I had a dry spell for a LONG time. But now I am back in action.

www.ravelry.com/projects/aelievense