Hey all, I'm hoping to be able to teach online or at the community college level after I obtain a Masters degree. My question is, what kind of experience should I seek to gain now so that I can be as marketable as possible after earning the degree? I've seen various graduate certificates related to college teaching that would give me some experience, but am unsure how effective they would be at improving my chances. Supplemental Information: I currently have experience working with elementary (behavioral specialist intern) and high school students (campus supervisor - in addition to other duties I run detention sessions 2x per week), but don't think that's enough to turn heads at the post-secondary level. I'm considering work as a substitute teacher next year as it would give me more classroom management experience. Does this seem to be the right track? My graduate work right now is in a niche field (Economic Development & Entrepreneurship), but I might switch to the MBA program (both programs have regional and AACSB accreditation). Additionally, I'm considering enrolling p/t in the HUX program at CSUDH or the MAIS at WNMU (Psychology and English / History) to allow myself to teach general ed classes in addition to niche classes. Thanks in advance! Sorry if this has been covered in another thread, but I wasn't able to find much on it.
You can design and teach your own online courses while getting your masters degree. I did that over ten years ago and that online design/instructional experience carried a lot of weight on my CV. I had two jobs lined up before the ink was dry on my degree! Check these out: Design and teach your own course How to get experience teaching online
I am facing the same issue. I am in a psychology masters degree and want to teach community college. So I called our local community college and spoke with a psych professor and told her I would like to gain some experience during my masters program. So as it turns out, I volunteered go be a teachers assistant for a year. The professor is going to allow me to teach several times during the year! So once I graduate, she will give me a letter stating my experience. Just seek out a professor!
I think the previous posts have given excellent advice, however, due to glut of PhD's out there (B&M and DL) you might be at a disadvantage with only a masters when it comes to CC. Two years ago, my CC (Southern California) hired 12 faculty (possibly the last hire for a while) and all but one (PE) had PhD's. I recommend that you look at CC's in your area and check out their hiring practices. I wish you all the best, it is rough out there, but it might get better by the time you finish.
I agree with Zaya in wishing you all the best but I disagree about the idea that it might get better in the short run. I'm guessing that it's more likely to get worse. And so to answer your original question, you should do anything and everything you can in order to separate yourself from the mass of potential job applicants who are your competition. Kirk's idea was a good example (good thinking Kirk! I hope it pays off).
You might check with CCs in your area to see if any of them have a training program. For example, I was able to take part in a Faculty in Training (FIT) program at Guilford Technical Community College in the Greensboro, NC area when I lived near there. They take folks with new Masters or those who are nearing completion of their Masters and guide them for a year. You get to teach two Fresh Comp classes per semester, plus meet with the FIT director once per week. You are also assigned a faculty mentor who answers questions, etc. I don't think there are lots of these programs out there, but there might be a few. It never hurts to check. Once I got this opportunity, I haven't had too much problem getting teaching gigs, both on ground and online.
