u/DisneyGirl000

I’ve taught elementary school the past 3 years, and I’ve been thinking about leaving the classroom practically every year haha. Thought I wanted to teach older kids but I don’t think my issues with teaching would disappear that way. I feel like I work with my students with more of a child psychology lens, where content is the least important to me and being a safe adult for them is what makes me feel more fulfilled. I’m also interested in the more college/career readiness side of things too, and this sounds weird but I love administrative work unlike most teachers 😅

1. How hard was it for you to find a job as a counselor with teaching experience? I tried just switching from elementary to secondary teaching positions at one point and it was practically impossible, so I’m weary of taking this step if the market is rough (I’m in VA for context, in an urbanish -suburban area)

2. Those of you who were teachers before becoming counselors, what aspects of the job didn’t go away and what aspects got better once you switched?

3. I know this depends on the program, but I’m not sure if i want to do elementary or secondary counseling, I know the overall differences and both seem appealing at this point in time. Did your school counseling program help you with deciding which route you went (ES vs secondary), or did you basically have to decide based on what jobs were available?

4. Did you have to take a pay cut as a counselor or is your salary generally the same? Is the money for the masters worth it in the long run?

5. Also for those who were teachers beforehand, how did you go about working during your programs? I’ve seen that some did substitute teaching / para work during those 2 years but was just wondering if anyone had other jobs they did, since full time teaching doesn’t seem doable. Wondering about giving up healthcare, benefits, etc during that time.

Thank you in advance for your help! Any extra anecdotal experiences or advice outside of these questions are always appreciated as well :)

It'll be my first solo trip ever and I'm super excited! I've never been to the west coast and I'm staying in La Jolla. I'll have 4.5 days in CA, one of them is reserved for Disneyland/CA Adventure. What are some must-dos I can fill in the other 3ish days? After some research here are some ideas I have already:

- Sea lions/La Jolla Cove

- Little Italy (I'm Italian, this is a must). Any good food tours?

- Birch Aquarium (or other aquariums in the area, I know about Seaworld already)

- Padres game

- Balboa Park

- Torrey Pines

- Not a big zoo person, but is the zoo really worth it?

- Also was considering a day trip to Julian, I'm interested in small desert towns out west so thought this could work but correct me if I'm wrong lol

Any other ideas? Any food recs as well? TIA!

I'm going to Disneyland/California Adventure for the first time in July! I'm a HUGE WDW Florida fan, I've done almost every attraction in all 4 theme parks and stayed in multiple hotels, so I'm super familiar.

What are the top attractions/shows/foods I'd need to prioritize on my CA trip? Sadly I will only have ONE day to visit both parks so I will be using a park hopper. Cars Land is 100% at the top of my list to visit, as well as the larger It's a Small World attraction, but what other differences are worth checking out? I'm not huge on thrill rides like rollercoasters or things like Space Mountain, but I love water rides/dark rides and shows!

I'm going on a solo trip in July this summer and at a loss of where to go! I also want to check off a new state on my bucket list (never been to Mass. or CA). I live on the east coast near D.C. for context.

Boston appeals to me as a history nerd, museums, coastal New England sounds picturesque, can take a day trip to Salem, it's literary/academic, etc. Wasn't sure if I should save it for the fall though and take the Amtrak up instead. Would love recommendations for day trips from Boston as well! I love nature as well, but I don't know how much nature you can find in a city like this?

San Diego appeals to me since I've never been to the west coast, and I'm intrigued by LA actually but I've read SD is LA's friendlier cousin haha. Excited about the Mexican food, the water, proximity to theme parks and aquariums, CA coastal drives, can drive to national forests and mountains potentially. I also have some family there! I thought I could use flight credits on a more expensive flight like this so it's not so expensive out of pocket at the moment.

Both cities appeal to me due to the weather. I don't do well in extreme heat (highs in the 80s are usually fine). I can't tell which city would be more expensive to stay in. I already booked an Airbnb in La Jolla just to have it, but I can cancel and get reimbursed anytime before the trip if I change my mind.

Anyone who has been to either of these cities in July, could you offer your perspective or recommendation between the two? Thanks!