How to Change Careers after Graduating with the Wrong Degree
Sally studied pre-medicine during her four undergraduate years at a local university. She really enjoyed her classes, especially the zoology and anatomy ones. However, after graduating, Sally interned at a local hospital and discovered that she couldn’t stand the sight of blood. She realized that she did not want to pursue a career in medicine after all, but would rather teach anatomy to high school students. But wait a second, how in the world can she do that when her degree is in pre-medicine?
It’s a more common situation than you might think: What do you do if you graduate college, enter the work force in the field that you have studied, and realize that you picked the wrong field for you? Well, you could suck it up, decide to stay in your chosen field, and forever wonder if there was another field that might have been better for you. Or you can take action and change your future, without having to go back to school for another four years of schooling. Here are some ways you can change your career path without having to go back to school full-time.
1. Look for alternative certification. There are many fields that require a bachelor’s degree. However, many of these same fields also accept alternative certification. For example, in Oklahoma, if you want to become a teacher but do not have a bachelor’s in education, you can take several ACT-style tests, go before a board of educators, and eventually receive a certificate that says you are qualified to teach. Usually, this process is much less time-consuming and less expensive than going back to school for another bachelor’s degree. Read the rest of this entry »