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Advice:
By William G. Vicars, EdD
Random people often contact me for career or education advice.
It is an unequal situation.
Their effort: 1 minute to ask a question.
My effort: 45 minutes to answer that question.
It only takes about 20 seconds to type a sentence such as:
"I'm interested in a career in ASL and would appreciate your advice. Thanks!"
Yet to do a minimally decent job of responding to a such a question can take an afternoon.
To do a truly thorough job of responding would necessitate creating a book or a website.
Why? Because good advice depends on individual circumstances. If you don't know an individual's situation in life and try to give good advice you end up having to try to account for all of the many factors influencing that person's situation.
To achieve that level of self-awareness and career focus -- colleges tend to require students to take career exploration courses and complete a year or so of general education courses to force the students to experience a wide range of topics and be exposed to a broad spectrum of information.
I recommend that before you meet with an advisor or upon first contacting an advisor you do your best to provide the advisor with answers the following questions:
What are your goals?
What do you want to do with your life?Five years from now what do you want to be doing?
How old are you?Do you have any degrees or certifications yet?
Are you dependent on financial aid? (Will you need financial aid in order to attend college?)
What state do you currently have residency? (Where have you lived in the past year that you can prove you lived there via state issued ID or a utility bill with your name on it?)
Do you own a car and are you able to drive?
What is your current level of signing ability?
Are you Deaf and/or have some sort of documented disability? (If so you may qualify for state-sponsored vocational rehabilitation services and support.)
What is your GPA?
Are you interested in or at least willing to do an online college program?Do you want an in-person program? Why or why not?
What specific majors have you been leaning toward and why?
Are you seeking an education or work environment that is highly accepting of diversity?
Are you aware of the sentiment (attitudes, opinions, feelings) in the American Deaf Community that result in many Deaf actively seeking to discourage Hearing people from taking Deaf jobs (jobs that can be easily and enjoyably done by Deaf people)?
Do you want to become an interpreter?
What do you "not" like to do?
Do you like working with kids? What ages?Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Do you have family or other responsibilities that might impact your freedom or choices in terms of relocation and/or hours worked?
Why do you even want to go to college anyway? Why don't you go get a job in sales, work very hard, live on way less than you earn, invest the rest in a low-cost diversified, dividend-paying index fund and retire in10 years?
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Discussion:
Before even considering which college to attend or in which subject to major I recommend you invest a few hours doing job searches to see what positions are actually available and what qualifications you will need in order to apply for such jobs. In other words -- start with the end. There is no sense studying a topic and completing a program if in the end there are no jobs in the location you want to live and/or if the pay is too low to support the kind of lifestyle to which you would like to get accustomed.
If you choose to attend an out-of-state college or education program you will pay out of state tuition which can be outrageously higher than in-state tuition. So if possible you will want to consider in-state options first.
Some people prefer to attend in-person college programs because they need the structure to force them to study -- or they want the social interaction.
If you are disabled it is generally in your best interest to have a physician document your disability. There are a number of low-cost programs or avenues available to Deaf and others who have documented disabilities that are not available to non-disabled people. For example, Deaf residents of Texas can generally attend college for free.
If you like self-directed-study and are self-motivated you probably wouldn't mind doing an online study program. You might also want to consider eventually becoming a college instructor and getting paid to study. That can happen when you are a full-time college instructor. You are expected to do research as part of the promotion and tenure process -- thus colleges tend to have all sorts of support and incentive programs including grants for research.
Interestingly, it is easier to get hired and teach college than it is to get hired to teach at a high school. Often people don't believe me when I tell them that but consider the situation in California. In California it is possible to teach full-time at a community college with an associates degree and 6-years of experience.
I do "not" recommend attending four-years at a big-name out of state university -- unless you are financially well-off and can do it without going into debt. Instead I recommend completing your general education and an associates degree at the nearest convenient low-cost community college. Then transfer whichever college that has the specific major you want for your bachelors degree. Make sure you can complete the major in your junior and senior year though. Some not-well-thought-out BA major degrees take more than two years to complete the major courses and are thus not good programs to transfer to from a community college.
If you live with your parents or guardians and the "big university" is within biking distance then sure, it might be worth paying a bit more in tuition.
Check to make sure that the program you attend results in a degree or certification that actually qualifies you for a career in which you can earn a living wage. Be wary of (and avoid) ASL and Deaf Studies programs that do not prepare you to successfully obtain the certification required by your targeted future employer or expected in your field.
Some programs qualify you to do nothing more challenging than being a teacher's assistant. If you choose such a program you will need to go on to graduate school and get a higher degree.
How do you find out what a program qualifies you to do? You read their literature and you ask a program advisor very specific questions such as:
Will your program qualify me to interpret upon graduation or will there be more I need to do?
Will your program qualify me to teach Deaf children upon graduation or is there more I'll need to do? If I do great in your program will you personally write me a letter of recommendation?
Will I be able to teach ASL after completing your program and if I do a great job in your program will you personally write me a letter of recommendation?
(That "letter of recommendation" question gets to the heart of an important matter: Some Deaf college instructors teaching in ASL programs are happy to take your tuition money and earn a living teaching ASL to Hearing students but those same Deaf instructors do not want their Hearing students to earn a living teaching ASL.) It is like a one-way street. All Deaf Studies and ASL programs listed in college catalogs and/or online brochures should include a disclaimer or caveat clearly stating whether or not their instructors actually support Hearing graduates of their programs working in the Deaf Studies field.
I recommend that you be realistic about your career choices. If you are Hearing, chances are you may face community blowback (criticism / attacks) if you seek an ASL teaching position in cities that have a large Deaf population. Why? ASL teaching positions are coveted by many Deaf. When a Hearing teacher takes a job for which there are "any" Deaf applicants -- it will likely be resented by the Deaf applicant who may then tend to inform their social network. It is not uncommon for members of the Deaf Community to take it upon themselves to cancel a Hearing person's aspirations to teach ASL. Is that fair? Is it smart from a long-term societal cost/benefit analysis? Such questions are immaterial if you are getting attacked. If you are a Hearing person and want to have a career teaching ASL are you willing to move to a smaller city or a remote location where there will be zero Deaf applicants for the teaching position? You might very well have a fine and rewarding career. Ask yourself if you are willing to move to and live in a remote area to have such a career?
Maybe you are already skilled at ASL and interpreting and just need a bachelors degree in order to sit for (take) a certification exam. Self-motivated adults with life experience and the ability to get things done without someone holding their hand may wish to consider a school such as Western Governors University. As of last check they don't have an ASL program but Western Governors University (WGU) is a solid, low-cost option for adults with jobs or commitments thus allowing currently working interpreters to keep working while pursuing a degree and eventually obtaining certification. WGU charges by the semester not for each credit so it is possible to load up and crank out the credits and graduate much faster than at other colleges. They also are receptive to life experience credit.
If you are seeking a degree and haven't already checked into the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) program it is worth looking into. CLEP is nation wide -- not limited to a specific college). You can get hundreds of credits (!) just by testing out. I went to a testing center and in about 3 hours walked out with around 21 units. The son of a friend of mine tested out of two semester's worth of classes. In other words, he reduced his four year degree into 3 years.
Consider attending two or three community colleges at the same time for one or two semesters. It is low cost credit and a fast way to bang out an associates degree that covers your general education. Then transfer to a 4-year university to do the major work. That way you pay a lot less for your overall BA degree because half of it was general education at a community college. (Check for something called articulation agreements between your two (or more) colleges.)
If you take classes from two or three junior colleges (in the same city or via a combination of online and in-person) it is not unheard of to earn 30 or more units in one semester. If you find yourself with gobs of units but no degree -- consider the idea of a "bachelor of integrated studies" -- various colleges offer those for their students who can't make up their minds or changed horses mid-race.
Check to see if your school or program offers mini-semesters during winter break and/or summer classes. Taking mini-semester classes and/or during the summer can considerably reduce the number of years it takes you to get a degree.
While attending Lamar University in Beaumont Texas for my doctorate I checked to see how many units they would allow transferred in. They accepted six (which was the equivalent of one-full graduate-level semester (or half a year of graduate school). So I simultaneously registered at Gallaudet University and took an online Deaf Culture class and another class for a total of six units. I was able to complete an accredited MA in one year and an accredited doctorate in two years (or three years total -- normally it takes five years total).
If you are still in high school -- if you are able -- do advance placement or dual enrollment courses. Consider early-enrollment in college and take classes at night and/or on the weekends.
If you want to teach college it will benefit you to climb the paper ladder as quick as you can. Get your BA degree (for example at a school such as WGU mostly online) then apply for community college adjunct instructor and/or other instructor positions in a city that has a Masters / PhD program in your field at a university that you might like to attend. Then move there, teach for pocket money at the junior college while attending graduate school.
For full-time college teaching positions you will likely need to go through a multi-stage application and interview process.
However for a part-time adjunct instructor college teaching position it is the wooing of college Chairs and Deans that gets you a job. Keeping the job relies on a combination of getting good student evaluations and completing the retention requirements. Also, make the effort to get along with your colleagues or you may find yourself mysteriously not being approved for grants and wonder why teaching opportunities are drying up.
Getting and keeping a job is a different skill-set from staying in the good graces of the Deaf Community. The latter is a matter of humility, connections, and being like an octopus. Wonderful creatures -- they know when to get small and hide, when to get big, when to jet away, when to spray ink, how to pry on a mollusk for hours, and how to be flexible. The ocean is a dangerous place -- octopi have adapted and do quite well in the dangerous environment in which they find themselves.
For example, Linguistics is an incredibly octopus-like degree in the Deaf Community. It can get you hired as an ASL or Interpreting teacher rather easily -- especially if you already hold an interpreter certification. However you need to be fascinated (actually fascinated -- not pretend fascinated) with language in order to be happy as a linguist. A Sociology degree can a good choice for people going into a Deaf-related field -- as long as your focus can be linked to Deaf Studies in some way.
Flexibility in your degree choice is important -- particularly if you are Hearing. Why? If needed you could go work in a Hearing organization. If you get a degree in Deaf Studies and/or Deaf Ed -- that would actually limit your options in life since non-disability-oriented Hearing organizations might not see the value of hiring someone with a Deaf Ed degree. Be sure you genuinely want to spend a decade or two in the Deaf Community before investing in a four-year Deaf Studies degree. Non-Deaf-related organizations will be much more accepting of Sociology, Anthropology, or Linguistics. With Linguistics you could even teach English! With Sociology you could teach half a dozen things or work in a variety of positions.
Having a PhD (piled higher and deeper) in a "related field" often allows you to teach other topics. My terminal degree is in Deaf Education. I don't teach Deaf Ed. I teach Hearing adult ASL as second language learners. The Deaf Ed degree was useful in getting hired to teach ASL at a University.
Don't get hung up on a specific degree. Get into a program, pay for it (or get it paid for), do what's necessary to get the degree -- Then use that degree to get hired or set up your own business.
Tip: There is generally no rule that says you can't ALSO take Underwater Basket-weaving during the same semester as you take classes satisfying your major degree course requirements. So if someone says they will pay you to get a Sociology degree but you really want to take ASL classes -- go ahead and pursue the Sociology degree while taking ASL classes as your electives.
Do your best to make sure your last degree is in a field or focuses on a topic that is at least somewhat related to the field you want to be in. Your previous degrees can be in whatever. Your last degree doesn't have to be an exact match -- just close enough.
Don't just take the minimum number of courses per semester -- take the maximum -- that way you can fill the degree requirements and also take useful stuff like "app" programming. It's like getting a large pizza for a medium price.
You might think: But what about my GPA? If I take a lot of classes I'll end up getting "C's!"
In several decades not once has anyone meaningfully asked me what I majored in for any degree other than whatever was the most recent degree I had at the time. Nor has a hiring official ever asked me what my GPA* was. They were more interested in what I could do for them. They wanted someone who could help carry their organization into the future.
Of course you should do what you can to get good grades because they can open some doors for you. You are more likely to get scholarships if you have good grades. Plus good grades will help you get into grad school and/or law school.
Law is an interesting field in the Deaf world -- since so many organizations break the law when it comes to Deaf people.
A law degree can often be obtained for free or relatively very-low cost. Take the LSAT after studying using some of the LSAT prep courses using study materials that you borrow for free from many large public libraries. If you can't afford the LSAT, you can apply for an LSAC fee waiver. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) offers a fee waiver program to help financially under-resourced law school applicants. Your result on the LSAT is combined with your undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) to figure out how high or low you place on the "Law School Admission Index." Many law schools use that index to rank applicants and decide merit-based scholarships or grants (or in other words "free tuition"). The higher you score on the index -- the more schools are willing to let you attend via merit-based scholarships. If you score lower on the admission index you can likely still attend law school for low or no cost if you are willing to move and attend a low-prestige / high acceptance rate school. If you have at least a "B" average or better, can get 150 on the LSAT, and are flexible about where you live & what school you attend -- chances are a law school somewhere will accept you and provide tuition assistance. Don't decide that you can't afford law school until you have at least found out where you rank on the admission index.
Warning: Disability law doesn't pay very well. I've personally seen a disability law organization at which the secretary was earning more than the lawyer because much of disability law is pro-bono work paid for by donations or meager grants. There is just no money in disability law -- unless you become a winning / big name / big case -- ADA type attorney. The pro bono stuff supported by Deaf Centers and/or Disability Law Centers just doesn't pay enough on which to live well.
If you are aiming to become a college instructor, get the minimum degrees and then cast a wide net to community colleges and start teaching evenings and weekends while you get the advanced degrees -- that way you have money coming in while you work on your career. You may need to move to find a "real" job (one that provides medical and retirement benefits). Don't stay adjunct forever. Adjunct instructing works for a while if you don't have kids to raise and don't mind Taco Bell repeatedly -- but seriously find a "real" job teaching at a school that has a defined benefit plan into which you can vest. In other words -- score a pension.
[End] (I'm going to move on to other projects for now. Why? Because no one is paying me for this advice and I need to go earn some money to pay for a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito ® at Taco Bell.)
Warm regards,
Bill
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William G. Vicars, EdD
Professor Emeritus
Sacramento State University
Notes:
William G. Vicars, Ed.D., (a.k.a. "Dr. Bill" of ASL University) is a former full-time, tenured, full-professor, and researcher at Sacramento State University where he served as coordinator of the American Sign Language and Deaf Studies bachelor degree program. He is Deaf. He holds an earned doctorate in Deaf Studies / Deaf Education from Lamar University in Texas, and has over 30 years of experience instructing and providing workshops in a wide variety of settings including internationally (Singapore, Guyana, etc.) in-person and online. He is the director of Lifeprint.com -- one of the world's most popular web destinations for learning about sign language and Deaf people. Through his YouTube channel at https://YouTube.com/@sign-language he shares ASL instruction with over 400,000 subscribers. He is married to Deaf culture researcher and pundit Bee Vicars, MFA.
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