teaching certificate

[kdonline]

I graduated with a Journalism degree & then a couple years later, decided I wanted to "save the youth of America..." (okay, that dream lasted 10 years..)

Anyway, you have to find out what your state requirements are for certification - and if (if any) of your current classes count towards whichever certification you're after.

For example, I am in Florida. I decided I wanted to get certified to teach Learning Disabled high school kids. None of my undergrad courses were "accepted" - so because of this, I decided it would be worth the extra money & time to just get a Master's Degree. Shortly after, I added Journalism to my certificate, whch I ended up teaching my last few years in the system. the MS took me 2 years (actually, just under a year & a half, but the internship added a couple of months).

On the other hand, a good friend who got her degree in Recreation decided she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher & not go for her Master's. She just took classes for maybe 2 semesters, interned for another & got her certification.

Call your local university/college & see what they say. You're not the first person to ask that question. And often, they have programs for people who already have degrees and/or work experience.

Good luck!

(BTW, I haven't taught since 1999, but I took enough inservice courses that I am now certified through 2009...never know when I might want/have to teach again!)