Becoming a Teacher via Alternate Certification

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! In honor of the “holiday”, I thought I would cover one of my most common FAQs: how I switched careers from marketing to teaching. It was a long process and one that I didn’t share while it was happening due to the fact that I hadn’t notified my marketing company of my new career plans. In this post I’ll briefly walk you through my experience of becoming a teacher via alternate certification.

The “Why”

The majority of my life has been spent working with kids. My first job ever was babysitting around my neighborhood, and during the summers I was a camp counselor. Once in college I became a summer teacher for this camp, where I taught a variety of classes ranging from media to performing arts. During my final year at the University of Arizona I was a preschool teacher (ages 1-2.5). I am no stranger to working with kids and come from a long line of educators. Teaching was something I always knew I had a passion for, but all you hear about growing up is how underpaid teachers are. I wanted to take a chance at a lucrative marketing career before “settling” on the path I always thought I’d end up on. 

I studied Communications at the UofA in Tucson, AZ and went straight into Social Media Marketing post-grad. I worked at both startups and large, well-known companies alike. I gained valuable experience during the 7+ years I worked in digital marketing. However, the higher up I got within my roles, the less I liked the work. I left my job in LA for a new field marketing experience in Dallas as an attempted solution to my unhappiness at work. Well, that job was the worst I’d ever had. I hated it and dealt with bouts of depression and severe anxiety while working there for 4 years. I hated it from the day I started, and at my 1.5 year mark I decided to switch careers to teaching. It was important to me to not just “jump ship” to a new marketing position as a quick-fix solution. I longed for a career, not just a job, doing something that truly made me happy every day. It was no surprise to me that I ended up on the teaching path, after all.

The “How”

I had a friend in Dallas who had recently become a History teacher by way of alternate certification (commonly referred to as alt cert). Alt cert programs are abundant in Texas and other growing areas of the country; our state has recognized a dire need for teachers, and have created alt cert programs that people can use to gain their credential instead of having to go back to school. The program she used was called Texas Teachers, so I followed in her footsteps to purse my English credential. 

Something to keep in mind is there is no universal credential option (at least for alt cert programs). I knew I wanted to teach middle school, so I chose the ELA 4-8 certification, which means I’m able to teach grades 4-8. Other common choices are K-6 and 7-12. Since becoming a teacher I have learned of other popular alt cert programs like ___ and ____ (both of which get you into the classroom faster, if I recall that information correctly). 
The DetailsMy program was not very helpful in figuring out how/where to start. I signed up, paid my deposit (I think it was around $1,000) and in return they gave me all of my login information for the online classes. Side note: think of these alt cert programs as online school. You work at your own pace and there’s no live classes – everything is systematic and available 24/7. It took me a total of 2 years, while working full time, to complete all of my tests, classes, projects, and observation hours. I think it is easily done in 1 year if you are dedicated and work on it a little bit each day. Just make sure to start early, ideally around Aug/Sept, so that you are completely done and ready to be hired for during hiring season (starts early April).

A question I asked my Texas Teachers reps (who were always so kind and helpful) was, “Where do I start?” There are online classes, projects, and state exams and there was no clear roadmap. My rep suggested I start studying and taking the state exams, followed by all of my classes/coursework, and then I’d be hireable. Going this route meant that I had to buy test prep books, practice exams, and teach my way through everything, while having absolutely no background knowledge since I didn’t study education in school. Given my personal experience, I would suggest doing the classes/classwork first because it introduces you to many new terms/philosophies in a more natural setting. Doing the state exam first (like I did) is like taking your final exam before taking your classes; it just doesn’t make sense!

Living the dream

It was a long, treacherous road getting here, full of terrible jobs and experiences, but I wouldn’t change my experience for anything. Every day I wake up excited to go to work. I’ve eliminated the Sunday Scaries from my life (#iykyk) and am noticeably happier. Sure, teaching has its ups and downs, but I’ve never felt more sure of where I’m at. This was 100% the path God planned for me and I’m so grateful for every bad experience that lead me to where I’m at today. If it weren’t for the abuse, sexism, and awful companies/people I worked for in the past, I may have never ended up here. If you asked what I’d do differently, my answer would be absolutely nothing. Every tear and panic attack put me on the path towards becoming a teacher via alternate certification at age 30, and I don’t regret a single minute of this journey!

If you’re considering switching careers to teaching, I am SO supportive of you! You can do this! Make sure your heart’s in the right place because teaching isn’t for the weak. If you feel called to do this, DO IT TODAY. Life’s too short to stick it out in a dead-end or soul-sucking job. I’m here to help you while you work towards becoming a teacher via alternate certification, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or support. You’ve got this!!

All is fair in love, war, and the pursuit of happiness,