Worried about being 'overqualified' for COTA job? Please help!

Hi, I currently have a Master's in Special Education, but I find that I can't handle the stress of teaching anymore. I have been really interested in OT, but before jumping into being an OT, I want to be a COTA first. Do you think colleges will think it's weird that I am going back for an Associate's after getting a Master's? I'm worried that I won't be accepted or hired because there's such a shortage of Special Ed teachers, and they would just not take me so I can go where the shortage is at.

I love kids, and love working with the, but there is just soo much stress with teaching...and I'm afraid that if I admit that there is too much stress with teaching, I may not get hired either, because then that reflects that I'm a person who can't handle stress. I feel very stuck at the moment with my degree. Should I just eliminate the fact that I have a Master's altogether on my resume and application? Any help is appreciated!

Sandy in Brooklyn, New York said: Hi, I currently have a Master's in Special Education, but I find that I can't handle the stress of teaching anymore. I have been really interested in OT, but before jumping into being an OT, I want to be a COTA first. Do you think colleges will think it's weird that I am going back for an Associate's after getting a Master's? I'm worried that I won't be accepted or hired because there's such a shortage of Special Ed teachers, and they would just not take me so I can go where the shortage is at.

I love kids, and love working with the, but there is just soo much stress with teaching...and I'm afraid that if I admit that there is too much stress with teaching, I may not get hired either, because then that reflects that I'm a person who can't handle stress. I feel very stuck at the moment with my degree. Should I just eliminate the fact that I have a Master's altogether on my resume and application? Any help is appreciated!

Colleges do not care. I have a Master's degree and could not find employment in my field so I have chosen to do something else. You do not have to list your degree but I think it is an asset because I believe COTAs do employ teaching in their therapy.

I was accepted to a program not because I had a Master's degree but because I had fulfilled all the requirements for entrance into a program.

Thank you! It really makes me feel a lot better!

Your teaching experience in special ed would make you an asset to the OT field. Plus, if you start out as a COTA, you get to work directly with the kids (or whatever your population is) and get to know the field by the time you are an OTR, where your responsibilities are broader.

Good luck!