Before I came to the MAT@USC program my dream of teaching was just that: a dream. I had no practical way to get from where I was (not teaching) to where I wanted to be (teaching).
At the time, I thought taking all the extra content-area courses a History degree offered would be great –I’d just go get certified post-college, no big deal. Little did I realize, it wasn’t that simple.
Life called, as it often always does, and I had to get a full-time job. Those were not very plentiful in 2008 when I graduated, though, so I took the only job I could find. It was at a library near my hometown and was actually pretty great. Well, the job part was great. The pay was not and neither were the hours. I worked nights, mornings, afternoons, and weekends, leaving no time for pursuing certification. Worse, I wasn’t able to save up any money –I could barely pay my student loans from my undergrad degree!
I started to see that my dream job, teaching, was not going to come as easily as I’d hoped. I knew I’d get there, I just didn’t know how long it would take. I didn’t sweat it, though, and I kept pushing on. I got freelance writing jobs with the regional newspaper for extra money and I kept working hard at the library. The library eventually segued into the Census Bureau and the Census Bureau segued into the county Elections Board. They were all great jobs, but they just weren’t what I wanted.
I started by doing an internet search for my state, Georgia’s, teacher certification requirements. The best site I found was USC’s Certification Map. After getting the details, I started looking at programs in my area. A reality pretty quickly came to me: the closest program in Georgia was an hour away. With class meetings, homework time, in-classroom time, and commute time, I wouldn’t have time to work, much less fully immerse myself in becoming the best teacher that I could.
It was going to happen for me, though! I got a call from a recruiter for USC a week or two after I accessed the Certification Map. He told me about the program, the technology, the quality of the professors, etc. It was ideal for me. It was made for people like me. I hadn’t even thought to consider USC (California is so far away!), but it was so perfect. The online delivery made the distance from Georgia to California meaningless. And I’d still get to do student teaching in my local area, no less. I’d found a path to my dream and all I had to do was click a few times on a map and answer a phone call from an odd area-code!
I still had to get in, though. I’m no slouch academically, but I knew USC was a prestigious school. I poured myself into my essays, got my references, completed all the paperwork, and crossed my fingers.
So, it still wasn’t simple, but I’m well on my way to living my dream. It took dedication and hard work, but the MAT@USC program has made it much easier and more exciting than I ever thought it could be. For that, I’m thankful –and I can’t wait to get started!
