I Don't Know What To Do!! Help Please!

[JeepGirl6]

I have been so back & forth with this. I have been operating my home daycare for 6 years. I just turned 29 (today is my bday :-)) I have an 18 month old son & we are trying for our second baby.

I already have my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education & Medical Assisting so I have worked in medical facilities/hospitals & daycare centers/nanny/operating my home daycare. I just feel like something is missing. I have been thinking about going back to school to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant. The college near me has a 3 year waiting list to get into the actual program. I have 7 prerequisites to take. I can take 6 of them online. So I was thinking start my prerequisites this coming August part time. I will have them done & still have about a year to wait to get into the program. I want to be home with my children until they start school. By the time I would graduate it would be around 2020. My first born will most likely have started Kindergarten, our second will probably be around 4 years old depending on how soon I get pregnant with him/her. My sister has offered to watch my kids while I go to school so I don't have to put them in daycare. Once I start the actual program I will only be able to do daycare 2 days a week because of clinicals. I am hoping to save $$ between now & then or take $$ out with the school loans to help pay my bills while I finishing school.

Am I crazy for thinking about going back to school a third time? I don't have any benefits, retirement, paid vacation/sick days so that will be a big plus if I become an occupational therapy assistant. Let alone the job stability. I would still love to be able to work with children whether it be a school or special needs facility.

Were any of you in this profession before daycare? Or know someone? Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. I just don't know what to do :-/

[Heidi]

Hey there!

I am 50, and taking 4 classes this semester so that I can (finally) finish an associate's degree.

I took most of my generals years ago, tried a few other programs, but never finished anything until now. So, I have some "extra" courses that don't apply. For the past 3 years, I've been taking 2-4 courses a semester (or none if they weren't available online) while working 50 hours a week.

My kids are teenagers and adults (25,22,17, and 14). Here's my experience:

-Never feel like it's "too late" to go back to school. In hindsight, I wish I wouldn't have had that attitude. Still, I'm proud of my lowly soon-to-be associates degree, which gives me no financial advantage, but I DID it.

-A lot of people think that it's easier to go back to work "once the kids are in school". My experience is that once their in school, you will still have that torn feeling. After school options are going to a relatives, going to daycare, or going home alone (when their older). Even as teenagers, sending them home alone made me feel neglectful. It's not wrong, but I didn't like it day after day, week after week. My kids aren't even a million and one activities (just a few), but the time together just seemed so short.

I'm not discouraging you from pursuing a career, but I don't want you to think it's necessarily easier because they're older. It's still hard if you're wired that way, kwim?

Another thing to consider is that the longer you are self-employed, the harder it will be to go back into the workforce. You're bull**** tolerance for maniacal bosses and crabby co-workers is breaking down just a little bit every day, believe me!

If the whole goal is vacation, retirement, and other employer benefits, then you can work them into your business. Give yourself a small raise every year, and budget that money for those things.

I guess in the long run, it's all a trade off.

[Rachel]

I agree when your oldest kid is a toddler, a 5 year old is SO BIG. But when your oldest just turned 11 (yikes, how did that happen??????), my almost 7 year old is still quite a baby. I feel like I'm at the perfect ages now for at home daycare. I'm not wakign up with my own babies at night, exceptt the 2 year old, any of my big kids who are sick can stay out of the way of daycare and take care of themselves, but even my 11 year olds I wouldn't leave home alone all day if one was sick or there was just a day off school.

I would also be wary of a program that has a 3 year wait list and you won't finish until 2020. All these graduates before you are in theory looking for jobs, and I've seen it happen again and again (we need nurses, no, not anymore no jobs for you!). So if it's your love and dream, by all means persue it. But if it looks like a good job and a short degree remember in the next 6 years there are going to be 6 classes graduating and the vast majority of whom will be looking for jobs in the field locally.

[childcaremom]

Hey there!

I am 50, and taking 4 classes this semester so that I can (finally) finish an associate's degree.

I took most of my generals years ago, tried a few other programs, but never finished anything until now. So, I have some "extra" courses that don't apply. For the past 3 years, I've been taking 2-4 courses a semester (or none if they weren't available online) while working 50 hours a week.

My kids are teenagers and adults (25,22,17, and 14). Here's my experience:

-Never feel like it's "too late" to go back to school. In hindsight, I wish I wouldn't have had that attitude. Still, I'm proud of my lowly soon-to-be associates degree, which gives me no financial advantage, but I DID it.

-A lot of people think that it's easier to go back to work "once the kids are in school". My experience is that once their in school, you will still have that torn feeling. After school options are going to a relatives, going to daycare, or going home alone (when their older). Even as teenagers, sending them home alone made me feel neglectful. It's not wrong, but I didn't like it day after day, week after week. My kids aren't even a million and one activities (just a few), but the time together just seemed so short.

I'm not discouraging you from pursuing a career, but I don't want you to think it's necessarily easier because they're older. It's still hard if you're wired that way, kwim?

Another thing to consider is that the longer you are self-employed, the harder it will be to go back into the workforce. You're bull**** tolerance for maniacal bosses and crabby co-workers is breaking down just a little bit every day, believe me!

If the whole goal is vacation, retirement, and other employer benefits, then you can work them into your business. Give yourself a small raise every year, and budget that money for those things.

I guess in the long run, it's all a trade off.

I have to agree 100% with this. I put off finishing my degree until my kids were older (4,6,8 and 14) for the same reasons and guess what, it was still hard to me to not 'be there' 100% for them. What made it easier for me was to tell myself that I was being a good role model for them, pursuing my dreams and goals and showing them that hard work pays off.

You are never too old to go back. That was a real hang up for me for a long time. I thought I was too old at 30, 35, etc. Now I am 40 and the career I would like to pursue needs 6 years of schooling! The way I look at it, I am going to be 50 no matter what, might as well be a 50 year old (insert your career goal here)!

Good luck with whatever you decide. Sounds like you have a great support system which will make your decision so much easier

[Sunchimes]

When I evolved into a special needs daycare, I fell in love with the work the OTs do. I would love to do it, and I heard about OTAs and thought it was something I could do. Let me just tell you that in some cases, it is too late. I'm 61. My BS degree is 40 years old. If I could even get into the program, I would be a minimum of 65 years old. No one, I mean no one, is going to hire a fresh out of school 65 year old for anything! ;-) Then I read the requirements, and honestly, college has changed so much that I didn't even know what half of the requirements meant. ;-) I decided then that being an OT wasn't meant for me, I'd better stick to doing the therapies that the younger OTs recommended for my dc kids.

One point, the ECI that works with my kids lost their OT a year ago when she retired. They searched diligently for an OT or an OTA for a year with no luck. It's a rural region, lots of driving, lower pay. Finally, in desperation, the convinced the retiree to come back part time. So, there are jobs out there, especially if you are willing to relocate.

[AmyKidsCo]

Here's the thing - life is too short to spend it in a job you don't like. If you can afford to go back to school for something you'll love, go for it! If you're not sure you'll love it can you job shadow someone for a couple of days to see for sure?