A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

I feel like an utter failure

Posted: Aug 11, 2011

When things here got real bad, pay-wise and did not seem to be getting better, I decided to go back to school. I was 48 and now I'm 53. I got a degree in education and can't get a job. Student loans are due and I can't make money here MTing. At my age it's just plain hard to find a job I guess, let alone have no experience except in this field. Last week I got a job as a sales manager for better than minimum wage and I do this at night still. My friends and family just don't get it and I keep hearing: "what about your degree? what about teaching?" and other crud . I wish they could walk a mile in my worn out shoes and understand that it isn't for lack of trying and at the very least, i finally got a degree! I've wanted that since I was a teenager. Too bad we can't make people with decent jobs who actually get to use their college education in their living understand what we go through. I just feel in the dumps tonight... like i've accomplished absolutely nothing worthwhile in my life.

;

Same here... - Broke

[ In Reply To ..]
I can't live on MT pay and the credit card companies now hate me, my credit is shot and if I had to pay for air I'd suffocate, and it's just getting worse.

I'm right there with ya. I'm just 1 paycheck or - 1 rent increase away from being on the street.

[ In Reply To ..]
If that happens, then (at age 62!) I may have to move back in with my MOTHER.

You are so not an utter failure - NDMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Getting a degree is not easy. There are lots of people who drop out for whatever reason, so the fact that you committed to furthering your education means that you have the determination to succeed. The economy is terrible and quite frightening, so don't beat yourself up about your job situation. Sometimes with teaching you can get your foot in the door as a substitute. I know even those jobs are hard to get, but it's still something. If you volunteer at your kids' school even a little, it would get your name out there. The people I really worry about are those who quit something to take up medical transcription. Yes! It happens! This week in our local newspaper there was a story about a woman who was closing her very successful cafe to "pursue her new career in medical transcription."

Thoughts - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
With what you have been through, I can understand that you would feel in the dumps. It is an unhappy thing to go to all that effort and then be unable to find a job in the field.

I just want to share something that might help you see your way out of the dump. It is that college education was never really intended to be job training--it was an education to expose you to the finest things of man and nature, to give you the tools with which to elevate your thoughts, and to train your mind to think, to reason, and to create.

Regardless of what you majored in, college was a way to better yourself and YOU DID THAT. Your degree proves it. So, congratulations to you. You achieved something that many never manage.

The job market is depressed right now for just about everyone. Your friends and family are being unintentionally insensitive, so accept that their crud is meant well and that it is an expression of their concern for you. Take it as that and don't allow yourself to see it as criticism, because it probably isn't.

And then move on. Yes, you had to take a job as a sales manager, but there are valuable things you can learn from that. Your college education has given you the skills to find that learning and make good use of it. Do the best job you can, because you never know where that job might lead.

If you had your heart set on teaching, why not create a nontraditional teaching job for yourself? In another location on the board, I posted about how easy Amazon is making it to self-publish e-books in Kindle format. It's obvious from your post that you write well. Is there a book you can write?

How about tutorials? Is there a subject you are particularly good at? Math? English? Why not write a tutorial for it? Or educational stories for children, or whatever age group you enjoy the most.

I have a friend who is highly educated, has been - in the computer industry for years,

[ In Reply To ..]
and fell on hard times when he was laid off a few years ago. (He's in the 55-60 age bracket, too). He lost his car, lost his apartment, and now, after 99 weeks, he's lost his unemployment insurance. Now he lives in a homeless shelter.

Not a failure at all - jl

[ In Reply To ..]
Have you thought about private tutoring? My sister has done this for a long time and gets paid very well. You could try applying at an after-hours tuturing
school, or find your own clients.

It might be worth looking into, and with your MT experience you have the resourcefulness to do it.

Feeling like a failure - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Are you kidding :) I would love to have been able to finish my degree, but with 2 kids and a single parent, little money, little time, stress....I could go on and on...I haven't done it. Now I am trying to decide what to do. I would like something that is a bit less stressful and a bit more reliable. Oh, what it was like to have an expected paycheck again. It is next to impossible to get a teaching job right now. The best placed to look are inner city schools and charters. Inner city is tough and the kids are much more difficult, but if you really want to teach, try there. Trust me, you are NOT a failure. I am now working two jobs and finally got off of food stamps while working MT. It is an extremely tough business anymore and I would recommend it to any new person. It just isn't secure, doesn't pay well, and the availability of work is iffy at best. Good luck, and don't give up on yourself! Where's that spirit that got you that degree in the first place!!!!

Suggestion - FlaMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I know this may be late coming...but have you thought about perhaps virtual schools? My son did a year of virtual school (thru K12, great program BTW) and the teacher was great. While getting to know her, I found out that she started out as a traditional brick & mortar teacher but went to virtual teaching so she could stay home and homeschool her own kids, but still make a paycheck in a career she loved.
Just a thought.

NOT a failure- - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
You are in the same boat with most of Americans right now. The economy is so bad that many people with degrees are working at fast food restaurants. It is not your fault and your family needs to get off your back- obviously they have not had to look for work in the last couple of years or they would understand!! You went back to school when most people would be to afraid to even try- that makes you a success in my book no matter what! I wish I had your determination.

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