Educational Pursuits?

Having worked in the education field for about 18 years in my other life, I was surrounded by highly educated educators and learned that many folks can be educated beyond their intelligence. Ever notice that? It's quite prevalent, yet in this day and age the drive to achieve higher education is a huge stressor amongst parents and teens and young adults alike as our educational institutions fees are at an all time high. But WAIT...for many there's the tuition assistance and federally subsidized student loans to pay for that 40k a year university education. So what if you get out owing your firstborn child...you have that illustrious almighty college education. May not have much common sense, but at least you're educated. Yes, that's another thing...not only are some educated beyond their intellect...many highly educated folks have no common sense.

I am from the generation where there wasn't a great push to go on to college. Just graduating from high school was the goal for many of us. I had aspirations of going to college, but my need to move out from my parents was a higher aspiration for me, so off I went to live with my sister and land a good paying "job." My sister was in college and working part time. I had intended to take some college classes, too, at the local JC, but never got aroundtoit.

So begins the daily grime...workin' at the lower end of the salary totem pole for those "classified" individuals as opposed to "certificated" individuals who commanded the higher figures on the salary schedule.

Finally in my late 30s when I began to feel I was going to lose my mind & soul altogether, I was rescued out of the darkness and slowly began to enter the light...

With the help of my dear sister & her family, I was able to go to school and begin a midlife career change. I happened to kind of land into doing something I've totally loved doing AND make money doing so!! What a CONcept!! To actually LOVE one's work! But as many others...I work, therefore, I am. I tend to struggle with balancing all my hats and keeping them on my head without tipping over or falling over my face. Ergo family caretaking vs work caretaking vs self care-taking.

So I struggle for about 15 years now off and on in this mid life career of sorts...and NOW there's this new drive/push for education everywhere. I, too, wanted to bring more respect to my present profession than has been traditionally lendt it because of the value I know we give to the community and medical/health profession, but now the same ol' same ol' is rearin' it's educated head and giving me grief. Early on in my days of doing massage, I applied to be an PT aide at a local PT place. One of the 2 PT owners called me personally...WOW...from the owner himself. He was quiet interested in hiring me practically on the spot. HowEVER, he had one little line he tossed out at me that sealed the deal--he said...and I quote, "Now you see, a PT is the one who has 4 years of education and makes the BIG bucks, then you have PT assistants who have 2 years of education and they make about $20/hr and THEN you have people like you who make about $8/hr. He didn't mention how little education I had compared to him, but he obviously didn't need to. I decided to try my luck and stay right where I was at. I knew I did a dam good job of giving one heckofa massage and I wasn't about to be around someone with such a huge ego. I'd already spent 16 years of my life being around a few well educated but not very intelligent beings, so I declined the position and it made me more determined than ever to continue on in my self-employment pursuits.

I was initially all for California having state licensing/certification for massage therapists to bring more honor to our profession and protect the public. Many states were ahead of us in having state certification and I felt California was quite behind. I never really quite understood why there were so many CMT's out there who were opposed to it because I felt it could do nothing but help. Well, it's done nothing much to "help" the therapist or the public, but it's doing some to help all the schools popping up with massage classes now and all the money hungry associations who are seeking to profit off certification. There are all kinds of "pre national certification test" gimmicks to help people prepare...HA...it's not to help people prepare...they should have been well educated enough in school to already BE prepared to take the exam. But for $39.95 I can join a website that will help me practice test...and then for another $39.95, I can purchase videos that will help me prepare for the test...oh and the BOOKS that are now available....and on and ON. State regulation has NOT been about legitimizing the profession as was touted before the legislation passed, it's been about who all can anty up and get a slice of the certification$$ pie$$. We not only have to go through the prostitution test at the state level, but we have to pay MORE for it! And then there's the matter of getting our "credentials er um--certification documentation from the schools which we already got certificates from in the first place and now we have to pay each school we've attended for "transcripts" that are required by the state. But of course, the schools deserve to be reimbursed for such...however, the costs sure vary from individual schools, which certainly isn't right or fair. Your tuition for the school in the first place should cover at least one request for transcripts. So much for "legitimacy" eh? What normally would have cost me a mere $10 to renew my permit locally is now going to cost me $150 + $85 + $35 = $270. But at least I'll be good for two years rather than just one. Only thing is, I haven't been able to come up with all of the $270 to get my stuff in! At this point, I'm going to submit an app and try to use a credit card for the fees and hopefully not short myself more with paying the schools for transcripts to be sent. This greater expense comes at a time when I've been struggling to keep a roof over my head and not lose whatever footing I'd gained over the years of hard work I've put in with tremendous client success. I believe I will send a version of my words here to the state along with my app. See what they say or do about anything. They're way behind approving the apps anyway. Soooo now I'm seeing quite clearly why so many were opposed to state certification. It's the BIG HAND getting into your BACK POCKET. Just simply reading the application requirements and seeing that they could deny your application if they dislike something or you...there is truly enough leeway to do so...I wonder if others are affected such within the state.

Seriously though, I've begun to look into what it would take to get my education to at least become a PT assistant, so I can have even MORE education and certification. My body can only handle doing four hourly or hour & a half maximum massages per day with the kind of work I do. One massage from me is comparable to approximately six $19.99 massages with a well educated, trained and experienced therapist...if you're lucky. Then again, as one of my colleague's did, you may be injured at one of those 19.99 priced places and have to come to me for relief. Our choices are made though based on what value we determine something to be in our lives. Therefore, do we value many rubs no matter what they're like or what the setting is...or do we want quality...kinda like choosing beween McDonalds or Outback Steakhouse, Goodwill or Macy's, Baby Gap or Walyworld. Me, personally? I'll choose quality bodywork over quanity every time without a doubt!

Soooo considering how many of those massage parlors with the fabulous foot massage offer of 19.99 are in operation and the fact that many of the people doing the massages aren't truly legitimate, that alone IS reason for me to comply with the state requirements in an effort to have those who are not legitimate not be allowed to continue. Guess that would be fair enough...if that were to happen. So I will do my part.

My BIGGEST grievance with our educational system is that in my humble opinion, it's LUDICRIS to have to fullfil the general education requirements necessary for any of the degrees. Our entire education system is built around "rote memorization" and I don't find that it makes people perform better. There are no "critical thinking" skills being taught. It's what's in the book based upon what so and so chooses for you to agree with or else.... When I got into the massage field, education around massage, i.e., anatomy and physiology, nutrition, physical fitness all made sense and I could do ALL of that for HOURS cuz it's pertinent to my work. However, when it comes to completing courses for a degree in physical therapy for instance, I don't know how mathematics can make me a better therapist. The fact that physicians must complete a bachelor's degree prior to entering med school is equally ludicris. Doesn't make them a better physician...just makes their education bills a WHOLE LOT HIGHER.

The greatest skill someone has with touching anyone is their touch, which cannot be taught--it can be "learned" but it can't be taught. Interesting concept eh? It just came to me this instance...heheh {;D. But that's the jist of it. You can learn how to touch, but not everyone can be taught how to touch.