How are you Monetizing using your Degree or Certificates

[mrs.b]

I haven't been fairing in the job market very well since older people are going after what should be entry level jobs in this market. People with 10-20 years of experience are being hired for jobs that pay $30k-$35k a year. But I mostly got my BA so that I could move on to a specific field in graduate school. I just graduated with a master's, so it still remains to be seen how it will help me in my goal of working for the federal government. In the meantime, I'm thinking about getting a teacher certification and I've also been applying to adjunct instructor jobs at colleges. I did get a better paying job after finishing my BA, but it's mostly because I had enough criminal justice credit hours to make up for the lack of experience. Currently, my BA has me in the running for a couple of law enforcement jobs that either require experience and certification or a degree. I don't have experience as a police officer or certification, so it would be good if I can get an agency to sponsor me through the police academy.

It sounds like the job market is being kinder to you than it is to many, i.e., the older workforce downgrading salary expectations. The better-paying job and other job leads may not be the ideal opportunities you originally had in mind, but they are something. Best of luck on the law enforcement jobs. You have the persistence to see yourself through the rough job market times. I'm convinced it will bounce back at some point if the right economic factors can ever come back in line.