Has Anyone Ever Had to Do This?

When I started reading your message, I was thinking how you could turn your psychology degree working in pre-k into an opportunity in your field of study. Working on your special ed certifications may have its rewards in working with the pre-k age group. So many symptoms in learning disabilities start to present themselves in this age group and aren't diagnosed until later because there is no one to help the parent/educator look for them. I just wanted to say that this moment in time may seem like a long time and diverting from your original plan but when you look back and you are working in your field of study may it bring positive memories and hopefully an added educational experience. Best of luck to you!

You know the life you think you are going to have vs the life you actually end up living are two different things. You are putting the needs of your child and your family first which is smart giving your current situation. I'm in my 50's and haven't had a job in my field ever. I've had a lot of wonderful jobs and gained a lot of experience so I don't feel like I've missed out on anything and most important I didn't miss out on anything having to do with raising my kids.

Yes and yes! I have a degree in Communication that I earned 5 years ago and have yet to see any yearly income that surpasses the total cost of my education. I work full time and so does my spouse so my kids go to daycare. Very expensive (half of my income pays for it) but if I did not work the other half of my income not devoted to daycare would put us in red water and leave bills unpaid.

I had to mentally support my husband as he finished school all while buying our first house, moving, and having our first baby. He graduated when she was almost 2. I have to step back sometimes and realize that we both have the same goal and we take turns in letting each other lead. he supported me when were first married to finish school first so I did the same for him realizing it benefitted all of us. I take the back seat sometimes and sometimes he takes the backseat. It is a balancing act and as the mom we often get criticized for following our dreams and wanting a career plus a family.

I am nowhere near where I want to be but now with 2 little kids under the age of 5 I am happy to have a steady income and know that when the time is right in life I will be able to find something more challenging and oriented towards my degree. Now I need the flexibility and understanding my current job offers when dealing with sick kids, emergencies, vacations etc. I have always been the "go to" person witht he kids because my job offers the ability whereas my spouse's does not. I amokay with that with I am happy to cheerlead my husband getting a promotion so we have more financial breathing room. I do not care who comes up with the money as long as we are safe, happy, healthy, and have our needs met. I know that when I am ready I will go for the job that applies to my degree and grants me more responsibility but for now it works the way it is.

Actually, if you are going to pursuing a career in special ed, pursuing a job in pre-k at this point in your life would give you really great hands-on experience in early childhood development AND it will be a win-win situation for you and your son. I actually think it would be a smart move on your part and having this type of experience, coupled with your special ed education, will look great on your resume when it comes time to move on and interview for another job. Smart thinking, Mom!

P.S. I want a job like Sandy's!!!!!

Yes, it happens all of the time. You have to do what works for your family now. You'll still have your degree when your son is in school so if you want, you can change jobs then.

I don't think it's always such a bad thing to pursue a job that isn't in your chosen field. You do what makes sense for you at the time. When I graduated from college in 92, the economy was rotten. Instead of working in PR, I ended up doing boring clerical work that didn't use my education at all. It paid the bills and gave me work experience for my resume. I thankfully only had to do this for four months before getting into my field, but I'm glad I did it. It sounds like this line of work is ideal for you and your family right now and could prove useful down the road as you pursue work in special ed. It's not that far removed to be working with younger kids.

Good luck!

As far as taking a job that is not using my degree, yes. I currently am. My job I have now really doesn't have anything to do with my degree (Communication & Web Design). Really you don't have to have a degree at all to do my job LOL BUT, it is an AWESOME company that I don't plan to leave. They spoil us (kitchen full of a wide variety of drinks, snacks; take us on company anniversary trips; parties; etc..), they pay 100% of our health & dental insurance for the family, etc. I'd sweep the floors if it meant I could stay here! haha

A BIG plus is also that I have the option to work from home whenever I need to. I get sick? Work at home. Daughter sick? Work at home. :)

I also plan to work a couple hours from home in the afternoons when she starts Kindergarten next year, so that I don't have to pay for after-school care.

I am even changing the focus of my masters so I can get a job more inline with my children's schedules. We change things for our families all the time. I never planned on being a Stay at home mom, but my kids needed me more than we needed money. I thought I would be well on my way by now, not just getting out there, but I would not change a step of that journey, or one second I had with my kids.

I did what you did a couple years ago. I worked at a child care center where my kids went and it had nothing to do with what I wanted but it did give me the experience I needed as far as working with kids and being around kids. It will look good on your resume also. Believe me, those couple years will go by so fast and before you know it, your son will start KG or first grade and you will have all the time you need to study, work or whatever you want to do. Be patient and don't overwhelm yourself with too much too soon. Slow down and take one step at a time. Take the job: your will be near your son, he will also develop socially, you will have income, and maybe you can take 1 course for now and do it slowly. As all the other mothers have said, your plans will change because your life has changed. Just embrace what you have now and go with it. Don't get dissapointed because you haven't achieved what you originally planned. Look at what you have already achieved. Slow down and enjoy your son and be patient. Everything will fall in place for you.

I hear you! I think lots of people have been in your situation, especially in these economic times. After I got my M.A., I found myself in a field where everyone was cutting back and firing perfectly qualified and experienced employees - as a new and inexperienced candidate, I couldn't find work anywhere! It was awful, after putting so much time and effort into a profession that I truly love and wanted to work in! I ended up taking a job that was much further from my profession than yours sounds to be. I would take the job for now, and keep your ears open for other possibilities. We all do what we have to do for our families, and Pre-K teaching sounds like it could be enjoyable at the same time. Good luck!

I know you will probably need more schooling, but what about becoming a school counselor, or psychologist. I know their is a lot of hours you have to put in, but you will have the same schedule as your child, plus something you will enjoy doing and in your field of study already.

If you need the money and they let you bring your son, then go for it.

Is there a reason that your child can't go to daycare? I also have no family here and have had to do the daycare route. If the kids are sick, my husband and I switch off according to meetings, although I am usually the go-to parent. Luckily if I need to, I can work from home. This way, you could get a job in the field that you want. There is nothing wrong with taking the job at the pre-K if that is what you need to do, but you don't want to resent your decision either.

Yep. I'm working for a business that, while in my chosen field, doesn't pay the greatest and isn't the most challenging. Ideally I'd like to have more of a "real" job. But, I do like my job, the people are great, it's very close to my son's daycare and I'm able to have the flexible hours I need to take care of my son when his daycare isn't open or he's sick. Plus, since it's in my chosen field, I'm not totally out of the loop and when my son is a little older and I go looking for a "real" job it'll be easier.

Also, my mother has a Master's in English and has driven a bus for the last 24 years. Originally she took the job part time over the summer while she took classes for her Master's and she planned on eventually teaching college while working on her own writing. It ended up she didn't like teaching as much as she thought she would (reading and grading other people's papers took away far more time from me and her own writing than she had anticipated) and the bus driving offered the flexibility to care for me and still write. Now driving the bus means that she gets to spend eight hours a day working on her own writing while still paying the bills. Granted she'd prefer that writing paid the bills, but that's a tricky field, bus driving is a job she can do for a few hours and come home from leaving work at work.

I say go for the prek teaching role right now. I tossed around the idea of going back to school or what to do when I was thinking of going back to work full time, and like you, I didn't have the money to put both kids in preschool AND go back to school. I wound up taking a job I was hesitant about at first, because it was doing something I said I never wanted to do again, but it's blossomed into a fantastic opportunity! I'm actually getting to do a lot of things I always wanted to do. You never know -you may decide you want to specifically get certified to work with special ed kids on the elementary level or with severe and profound toddlers or something. Bottom line -it certainly won't look bad to have been a prek teacher or assistant when you're applying to teach special ed after your certification!

I'd say go for it for now, then get back into your field when he's in school. You can always set up a schedule around his school schedule at that point:)
Don't feel bad. We do all kinds of things to make things work in our families.

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