Helen Said:

Is becoming a teacher a good idea?

We Answered:

I am a teacher with 2 years of experience. I thought the money wouldn't bother me much but I was wrong. I live in a low cost of living area, and I am comfortable (although I live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to go anywhere for a vacation). I will not make $50K until I near retirement! And those excellent benefits? Well, I'm covered, but it would cost me a lot if I had any children or if I needed coverage for my spouse.

I'd like to move to a city, but I can't afford to live in a higher cost of living area and still make ends meet. (Yeah, we have student loan payments to make, too.) Those vacations we get? During Christmas and Spring breaks I am busy grading papers (English teacher) and also working at my part time fast food job so I can afford to buy Christmas presents. So no real break there. During the summer, I attend classes so I can get my Master's degree, and work at my fast food job some more. Again, no real break. I can't afford to have children because I can't afford daycare for them. (However, if I did have children I would qualify for food stamps with my income.)

But do you know what really bothers me more than the money? Coming on a site like this one and seeing just how little respect teachers get. Not only do we teach content knowledge, we teach character and morals, we feed our students (breakfast and lunch), we encourage them to succeed.... In many ways, public schools are responsible for parenting students.

But I love teaching. I get to do what I enjoy every day. No teachers enter the field for the money. We do it because we like it. If you want to find out if you really have what it takes, spend time in a classroom.

Bessie Said:

Where do Toxicologists work?

We Answered:

Howdy, Cedric. I'm not a weirdo... BUT, I see myself in you :0
I'm currently in nursing school. I already have a degree in Zoology with a minor in Microbiology. One of my courses in college (my first time around) was pharmacology -- taught by a toxicologist. His area of expertise was with fish, but, like so many other fields, there is some overlap with almost everything.
There are "toxicologists" that work with the living, but... they're called pathologists. Now, there are lab techs/med techs that run a lot of the tests if a pathologist suspects poisoning. SO, if you just want to work with blood and find if there is poisoning involved, you could become a lab tech instead of a nurse/pathologist and save a lot of time and a lot of money.
Here's the deal, though. If you want to become a "toxicologist," you're either going to be stuck at a university doing research, in the federal government running tests on soil and/or water and/or air, or you'll work for some company running tests. You're very limited in job offerings. Yes, there is likely ALWAYS a job for you, BUT, it might be on the other coast.
As a nurse, however, (especially a guy nurse) there are jobs in every town. Hospitals will always choose a guy over a girl if everything else is basically equal because guys are considered minorities in nursing and because, on average, they are stronger so the nurse aides are requested slightly less often to help with moving, etc.
Also, as a nurse, if you want, you can go for your ARNP (nurse practitioner) making about $100k a year to do all the stuff a Dr. does (except surgery) or your CRNA (nurse anesthetist) making about $175k a year to do ALL the stuff an anesthesiologist. In both cases, you'd be home during the evening when the Dr.'s are on call.
You should find a university that you'd be willing to attend that offers degrees in toxicology and ask to speak to someone about the field.
I doubt you'll find a school that allows you to minor in toxicology.

Josephine Said:

Careers in healthcare?

We Answered:

Go to careerbuilder.com

Melvin Said:

anybody know any job openings in elgin, il?

We Answered:

Heres a start right on Yahoo :-):

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobs-l-elgin-IL

Richard Said:

What are some top CLASSIFIED sites that people visit the most?

We Answered:

Top classifieds are those listed and ranked top 10 in search engines. Top sites that people visit the most dependence also on the visibility in search engines. Being there in one of these classifieds definitely helps in your advertising and marketing goals.
Remember that diversifying ads gives you more online presence and ultimately increase your site ranking.
http://www.BiggestClassifieds.com
http://www.FreeClassifiedsDirectory.com
http://www.BestOnlineClassifieds.com