Any special education teachers or pharmacists technician that will tell me how they like their jobs?

Question

I'm really torn, not sure what direction to take. I'm 47 and am looking for a second career. My first was military and I get a retirment check each month for that. I have been substituting at my local school district and really enjoy it. It's been hard for me to decide if I want to pursue the special ed certification or pharmacist tech. Teaching will pay more, but it will take me another one and half years to complete my certification. Pharmacy tech is only two semesters. True I don' t have to go to school to become a pharmacy tech but since I've not worked in the field, I feel formal education is better. Both pursuits will be paid for and I'm only out my book expenses. I think I could like pharmacy technician and see it as a profession. I'm sort of leaning that way because it's something I can realize much sooner and at my age, I feel I might need to consider that.

Answer 1

May I toss out another oprion?  If you enjoy substitute teaching now, why not continue to do so and go to school to get you certificate as a pharmacy tehnician?  You could go to school on, say, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; then, you could subsititute teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  You could also work as a prharmacy tech while earning your degree in special education, if that is what you would like to do.

I worked in both professions.  I am 37 and I was a pharmacy technician back in the 1990s.  I also worked as an early intervention teacher in a classroom for kids with autism.  I loved both jobs.

Answer 2

Pharm Tech is not a profession; it is a job.  No one needs formal education to be a tech.  It won't get you a higher salary.  You don't make that much as a tech.  The overall average salary is $13 per hour.  Hospitals do pay more than retail pharmacies.  Regardless of where you work, it'll take years and luck to make more than $20 per hour.  Many Techs become bitter and leave the field in less than 5 years.

Answer 3

If you love children and feel up to the challenge, go for becoming a Special Educator. With your military background you should be real good because that field requires a lot of discipline too.

I have been a Special Educator and love it! The reward is in seeing the children make progress no matter how small.

Answer 4

Special Ed teacher here.  HATE my job.  Extremely depressing, thankless, and the pay sucks.  Changing careers.

Answer 5

Personall I love working as a pharmacy Tech. I sometimes feel underminded by the actual pharmacist because they do believe they know a whole lot more than me when i went through three more years of school tahn they did. Basically Im only working at this for alittle while until i go into nuclear pharmacy 10 years of college work and other than that i have no doubt that im going to be happy but even there it doesnt bother me working