Should I become a Respitory Therapist or a Grade School Teacher?
Asked by morelikenobody
I have my B.A. in Political Science, should I start over and become a Respitory Therapist or get my teaching credential and become a teacher? Starting over with Resp. Ther. at community college would be cheaper (about $4,000 total), take about 2 and a half years, and pay starting at $60,000 a year if I am lucky. Getting my teaching credential would take about a year and a half , cost about $20,000 total, and I would probably start off at $45,000 a year if I am lucky. They are both jobs where I would be helping people, teaching pays a lot less but summers off would be really cool, plus I love kids and I currently tutor them part time. Thanks.

Best Answer:
There are very few states with a shortage of teachers but the Respiratory Therapy field will be facing a shortage of qualified workers very soon!! Perhaps you could get a job in a pediatrics ward as a respiratory therapist!! Also, your pay expectations for an entry level teacher is unrealistic. Most teachers I know have to work for several years in the teaching field to make that amount of money.

Either way you will be dealing with vomit. Go with teaching...more growth potential. Good luck.
Answered by bexcy

I don't know about the pay etc.. but my husband and I are always looking at how the job market changes and we both wish we had gone into some sort of medical related field. There is always a high demand. In every city, every state, every country. You could always try to tutor on the side. You could try to work at a pediatric hospital.
Answered by K.B.

Really depends on what you would perfer, but I got to say while RT pays more would you really want to deal with watching sick people get worse and die as you get close them or watching youngster getting brighter as they grow as a result of your actions? I know it sounds a little morbid and all, but my Dad wife just recently passed after fighting an extended battle with Muscular Dystrophy where she was on a vent 24 hours a day and in and out of the hospital as the desiese just wore her down and all her therapists just were devastated when hse passed(although they knew is was coming) as they felt they had lost a friend. Me personally I would rather take the less money and deal with the kids then deal with watching people waste away.
Answered by willsbigboy