[sub]Wow, first I ask for computer help, and how here I am asking for life advice in IMHO. Sad, but y’all are a smart bunch, so…[/sub]
Quick Issue: I want to quit law school and pursue a specialized Master’s degree in education. Is this a bad idea? For those in the know: are some programs better than others? (For example, I hear that Harvard School of Education (SOE) is viewed kind of dimly by people in the field for its touchy-feelie politics, even if it is Hahvahd and USNews rates it #1.) I’ve done basic Web research on the issue, but no one site seems to offer the “Straight Dope.” The SDMB, in fact, seems to look dimly on some graduate education curricula. So what should I do?
Extended Details: I am currently a 2L at a certain nameless law school–we’ll call it the Yooniversity of Shigako. I hate it. I’ve hated it since I started. I was never very keen on law school to begin with (see below), my grades are awful, I’m bored by class, I can’t get a job, and I hate my classmates. I was talked into attending law school–'Nuff said.
My background before law school included a lot of teaching experience, some good, some bad. (Bad: ESL in Providence, RI; Good: Calcutta, India and Asian immigrants in Utah and elementary school kids in Shikago). And I loved it! I was planning to become a teacher before being talked into a “more financially rewarding” profession by several people that I love.
Now, I was suffering through law school because I thought that it was too late to change careers–but of course I’m wrong! Not only that, but deadlines for M.Ed. programs aren’t for another month! Furthermore, I can get a near-perfect score on the GRE, and my profs from college have promised to back me up with recommendations–so I’d imagine that I’d have a fair shot at just about any school in the country. But I need to know the best places to apply/go…
So, teachers, career-changers, and all Dopers! I’m trolling for advice! How do I become an ESL/Speech Pathology teacher with a degree that people will actually respect? How do I tell my dad (paying for law school :eek: ) that I want to bag it after 1.2 years and $40K of tuition? How do I sleep at night with the fear and excitement? How do I pay for all this?
Gads, I sound like a kid. But at least I’m happier now than in the past 1.2 years.