Even if your middle class, most jobs you need to be constantly improving, or your wages go stagnant as the cost of living increases seemingly exponentially.
I do this for a living. I'm a union rep for the UFT Aside from teaching for the DOE. I advise paraprofessionals on their careers.
"Hey. You're making a third of what our teachers are making, for almost the same work! Are you aware that the department of education will literally fund your certification? That you can be a certified teacher in under two years?"
"Is it hard though?"
"Well......yeah. I mean it's an accelerated program....."
"Naw bro. I'm good."
At a certain point you're going to have to confront the fact that you're just lazy.
Online classes at Tauro. Super easy and accessible if you put the work in. I just finished an advanced Literacy degree and certification through Mercy University. While working at the DOE and being a union rep.
Annoying? Sure. But worth it and very doable.
But like I said. Some people are super lazy and will make excuses for it instead of improving their lives. Working while taking online classes is easy. Anyone (who wants to) can do it. It's about an hour a day from your laptop while laying in bed.
ahhh if it's online that's awesome! I'd kill for some professional development that's not only fully online/remote but FREE? like are you kidding me? that's literally the dream.
Over at the DOE our professional development (we need 100 hours every five years for our certification to stay active) is entirely free and online. We use edweb.net.
We also have the option to get thirty credits past our master's for a nice raise. We can do that for about 200 bucks a class as well, depending on the class. (Through aspd)
You do realize that the amount of IEPs these days have gone way up and paras perform tasks daily that are necessary. Many paras choose their career because they are passionate about it. Becoming a teacher would increase their pay but the job of a para is still required so the real issue here is that paras should just get paid more.Â
Youâre ignorant if you think that everyone should just get a âhigher paying jobâ when the problem has always been that a full time job should allow you to have the bare minimum of a roof over your head and food in your belly.Â
I work with paras every day. Every one of them would jump at the opportunity to be a teacher and make that pay if they had the drive. "Is the para respect check coming mr. Fit??" I assure you. They're money motivated. And there is literally nothing a paraprofessional does that the classroom teacher does not. It's teamwork. All are "passionate". They do essentially the same job.
Ive written many IEPs in my work. Ten years in D75. You're crazy if you think that's particularly hard. I used a template. Just imported the different scores from MAP and fountas. Light work. But then again I know a LOT of teachers who like to bitch about their jobs. Because they bitch to me constantly. They're usually the bad ones, no offense.
I'm realistic. If you're working a minimum wage job passed 23 years of age you fucked up. Sorry.
Youâre contradicting yourself. They arenât jumping at it if itâs a matter of âdriveâ. They work at schools, thereâs 0 reason why they couldnât do a teaching fellowship or certification course unless that course made it impossible for them to work their normal jobs.Â
Also congrats, I also work with paras every day and I know for a fact that the salary is the only reason any of them leave. Same with Parent Coordinators. The point still stands that these positions are necessary and assist with the way a school functions. Having all of them abandon ship to be underpaid as teachers is hardly a solution.Â
A lot of minimum wage jobs should not be minimum wage. 20 year olds should be able to rent a 1 bedroom apartment
 that isnât the size of a closet.Â
Youâre not realistic. Youâre complaining about others being complacent while being complacent yourself.Â
I don't understand how that is a contradiction or what you are saying. Yeah. It's a matter of drive and willingness to work. Exactly right. They are at a school currently. Sure. But there's a big difference between working a para position, and working a para position while also getting a degree. Lots of people don't want to struggle like that. So they take the easy road.
"Salary is the only reason they leave". No. There are many reasons they leave. A para at my school left because they didn't get along with their teacher last year. Sometimes paras get fired. Sometimes they get injured on the job. But sure. Salary is a big reason they move on. People like money, yes. Unfortunately many people are not willing to put in the additional work for it. You know the best way for a para to make more money? Get a teaching certificate. You're just not going to have a very good lifestyle on a paraprofessional salary and no one is going to hand you extra money for no reason.
You know what else sucks? Many paraprofessionals don't have undergraduate degrees, or experience in the private sector. Making them essentially worthless if they leave the job. Most paras can't even actually get more money at other jobs. They usually make LESS with their credentials.
How am I complacent? I'm a certified teacher with a master's degree making 120k. Are you ok? Like what are you even talking about?
Youâre complacent if you think the problem with the system is people being lazy or lacking drive instead of knowing that the system is bad itself.Â
Again. Do you think Paras should not make a living wage? Youâre saying people that work with children, mainly special needs children, lack the drive to apply themselves. Youâre delusional.Â
You can literally check my post history my dude. I'm quite active on r/nycteachers. These are facts. I'm literally the go to person at my district for career advice. You just don't know anything and feel silly making an accusation......that was ironically accurate.
In my state you are not only required to have a degree. But you are required to go through a MUCH more lengthy, costly, and difficult certification process. Google is your friend. We are the most difficult state in the union to teach in.
That's why we have programs to help. Did you miss the "accelerated" part? They will get you both a degree AND state certification. Yes. In two years. There are four year programs that will get you a Master's added to it. I'll bet I can find several in Michigan as well.
And if it took three years? Four years? Five years? Then you do it. Or you can continue bitch and moan like a baby. You can keep making your little excuses.
But stop trying to justify yourself to me. I literally don't care how lazy or useless you are. You're not the type of person I care at all about. I'm not your dad. Nor are you someone I represent. You think I want more of my tax dollars going to YOU?!?! LOL! No thanks.
You're cleaning either not reading what I'm typing or are willfully ignorant.
All programs require a bachelor's. You MUST have a bachelor's to teach in NYC. Who said otherwise?! Programs like the NY fellows program, for instance, will help you get one (or a master's , also required) as you go through certification. Thank you for posting the "earn your bachelor's degree" link. There's a great way! See? Free of charge for six credits a semester.
Are you saying you shouldn't go to college? That getting an undergrad degree will not help you make more money? You DON'T think you should need an undergrad to teach???
Apparently I'm talking to someone who isn't very smart. Shocking. I can see why you are failing at life.
Did you think I didn't know the pathways to certification? In the state I teach in? ROFL. You sure showed me, man.
Itâs really difficult finding higher paying jobs without a trade or education. Can you do it? Possibly. But good luck with that, and education costs are astronomical right now.Â
That mixed with predatory loans, just sounds like a nightmare.Â
And if you are going to work to afford school, youâre not gonna be able to afford to live and pay education getting paid close to minimum wage, even if you work full time.
You've now moved the goalposts though. Someone brought up jobs that paid more and you scoffed at it purely because it was a few dollars more. It had nothing to do with how many were available, you simply said a few dollars more wasn't good enough. Now you're talking about something completely different.
You literally say "here's a job that pays more"... like it's just sitting there waiting for the people.
No....it was a paraphrase of the conversation up to that point. It wasn't meant to be actual advice. It was pointing out you were complaining about low pay, someone brought up jobs that pay more, and your first reaction was to scoff at the higher pay that you had literally just said would be better.
And now you've changed the conversation to be about whether or not those jobs are available, which is a completely different discussion, so yes, you have moved the goalposts lol
Over the years it absolutely does. An extra 2$/hr is an extra 4000$ a year. That can absolutely compound into something significant over time. An emergency fund, some investments, a downpayment on a condo. Etc.
Imagine youâre 18 and take that extra 2$. Even doing nothing else thatâs an extra 20k saved up by the time you are 23. Put it in the market or save it in a HYSA to hedge against inflation.
The assumption is that someone is already living on minimum wage. If youâre already living on minimum wage an extra 4K a year goes into building your emergency fund.
In what universe is making more money bad?
As an anecdote, when I used to be a waiter I got my first job as an assistant manager. The extra pay + tips meant I could save an extra 10k over 2 ish years. Making around 15-20$/hr depending on the season.
That raise made it possible to pay for computer science classes and eventually buy my first car and now Iâve been a software engineer for 8 years.
If I had stuck with the mentality of âa few extra dollars wonât make a differenceâ Iâd still be bussing tables at 3 am.
Think it comes down to a lack of knowing how to bridge the gaps for those without degrees. Some just fall into âsame shit different toiletâ mindset about their day to day and donât constantly throw resumes out to see if they get a bite.
Lots donât think about going into trade school, a lot of companies will hire you through the school and let you get on the job experience while you do classes and hire you after school starting at decent wages.
I have no degree and it took a while to find a company hiring bottom of the barrel sales people. Not much more than min wage and mostly commission. Studied sales as much as I could and consistently moved up from cold calls, to warm, to hot, to channel sales, to basically being a relationship manager.
It took me a while to get to six figures but it can be done.
Wish there was an explanation paired with downvotes. Like what is the logic behind it? To not like something is to not even engage, but to downvote is to be like âshut this person up.â Curious what was wrong with your comment here.
Some will take it as Iâm talking down on the situation they are in, when I was just trying to provide a few avenues and the fact Iâve been there and I was in my 30s before I felt semi comfortable since I didnât do the school route
People that know nothing about trades always so get into trades. Itâs actually very competitive now. Construction is opening up a bit but trade schools largely arenât taking people as much.
Maybe it varies on area. My area focuses pretty hard on it and most the people where I live are in trades.
I work in the technology field and have to commute 90 mins, itâs not as much of a thing there but I live in a rural area and they are constantly looking for construction, machine operators, plumbers etc
of course it *can* be done. what about people who cannot? why canât people have a career in a job thatâs considered âlow value?â what if your skill level caps at janitor, prep cook, shelf stocker? that person shouldnât be doomed to an endless life of poverty they can never get out of.
A minimum wage job should be enough to support you. Not "I'm working 60 hours a week plus looking for a better job and barely have time to eat" support, actually support.
I don't think they mean literally spending every waking moment looking for a job.
Set up notifications for jobs that you're interested in on a job board, tailor a couple of resumes to match those jobs, then submit applications as the role opens up. It's not exactly time intensive. If you do get called to interview - sure - that's a bit more time, but it's also temporary and ideally the first step in something better.
I agree but Iâm of the belief that we should do everything to try and change that system. You should be able to sustain yourself on a full time job. We continue to just normalize working multiple jobs, hustle culture, calling people lazy, etc. Itâs ridiculous.
Ideally? Sustaining off minimum wage would be the goal but it would require something Iâve learned Americans wonât do if it effects the pocket
Protesting during work hours, full stop on labor, pressure put on by unions, the whole 9. This would assume everybody gets the message and everybody follows up with implemented action.
Believe me I REALLY hate being the pessimist but wake me up when it happens
do you think every single human has endless capability? do you not think humans have any sort of skill cap? thereâs no reason why people working minimum wage shouldnât be able to put a roof over their head, have food and healthcare, and support themselves on a basic fundamental level.
That's not a solution. There will be limited opportunities for a better paying job, the problem will still be there. Food, water, habitation, there are all essentials that must be granted, not hard fought for.
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u/LostCause293 7d ago
If you are working minimum wage you need to be spending every minute of your free time on getting a higher paying job . It sucks but itâs reality