Live and Learn
I think I blame Hurricane Fay--the dumb storm that, instead of plowing into Florida and falling apart once it hit land like a normal storm, pooped along in its own leisurely way and simply dropped a couple feet of water on us over the course of last week--for souring my mood much in the same way she soured my laundry. . . which I was forced to hang in the garage because I couldn't string together even an hour of sunshine to attempt the clothesline.
Whether in my head or out loud, I think I had may have vowed to simply ignore the deluded folks at AAMT, but for some reason I tripped across another ridiculous episode from Modesto last week, and a rant was inevitable. This week, they've actually countered with Part II, in which they outline their plan to up the ante for people wanting to become MTs, requiring at least an Associate's degree by the year 2016. . . totally oblivious to the reality that no one is going to want to spring for additional college tuition for a job where you can't even bring home minimum wage because everyone's now paying us in rupees to become editors for speech recognition engines. Additional obstacles to attract new people to a field that's falling apart? Clearly, the disconnect from reality is growing. . .
But now I don't feel so much like chortling.
It's therapeutic for MTs to commiserate over everything from mush-mouthed dictators to lousy wages to the state of the field in general. It's also really important to educate potential students so that they can at least go into the field with their eyes wide open and able to make the best choices to maximize their success. . . but I overlooked the third part of the equation--students who are already committed, especially to sub par "schools."
I don't intend to be a downer, honest. I'm simply compulsive at times about speaking honestly--especially on topics where information is scarce or there's a lot of MISinformation out there *coughschoolapprovalprogramcough* to trip you up. My compulsions stem from the fact that there was even less information when I started and I feel like I might be saving someone--anyone--from making the same mistakes if I blather on about what I've learned in the school of hard knocks.
So. . . having knocked the blinders or rose-colored glasses off some now-discouraged students, how can I make it better? Honestly, I don't know if there's a good answer. If you failed to do your research before plunking down your tuition and now think you've been suckered, do you hike up the blinders, cover your ears, and repeat that mantra from Stepford promising that if you only want it enough and work hard enough, you WILL be one of the ones who make it? Alas, you can't learn what they don't teach--or if they teach you wrong--and once that doubt takes hold, it sets you up to feel inadequate no matter how many superlatives that school slaps on your certificate at the end. Do you attempt to get your tuition back and start over? Sadly again, poor schools generally give you a very short time to bail out before keeping your money. For me, the question would be whether to finish anyway and move immediately to a better course or just walk away from my initial investment and get on with it--and I honestly couldn't justify learning bad information just to get my "money's worth." I would cut and run to the best course out there.
Well, except that I'm essentially running to a whole 'nuther healthcare field altogether.
I suppose I shouldn't feel too guilty for raining on someone's parade because I'm not doing it from a lofty spot, but from a position of empathy. I am pretty much turning my back on my own initial investment and starting over from scratch, too. In my case, though, I consider that investment has at least taught me some lessons to build on and make more educated choices from this point forward. The further I get into my current studies, the more lacking I realize my original education was. The courses I've had so far have not only been an eye-opener, but have enhanced my current skill set immensely--and have also shown me dozens of related jobs I might have considered if I'd only had a clue way back when. If I had it to do over again, I surely would not have chosen the same school. Rather than curl up into a fetal position and nurture an ulcer over wasting that money, though, I guess I just consider it an introductory course to healthcare. It got my feet wet and set me on a path to something much better.
It's like anything else in life--you have lows to help you appreciate the good parts. Besides, it's not like you can change past events, so why dwell on them? Sometimes Fay comes along and sours your wash and you just have to get a little creative, start over, and maybe invest in a trip to the laundromat to tide you over until the next sunny day.