Closing the distance or education?

[Sora1101]

Honestly people giving jobs could care less where you got your education from as long as you have a degree and you know your stuff. That said, would you regret not going to your choice school if you and your SO didn't last? Is it just the "better education" you want or do you want the experiences given at that school? That's what makes the difference.

[lucybelle]

How well you teach can be affected by the program you go to. Not every program is created equal, especially if you want to get into the more specialized field with education. If your goal is to teach in a very prestigeous school when you complete your degree, then the reputation and prestige of your school's program will matter, at least at first. Otherwise, a license is a license and eventually experience counts for more than where you went to school.

I'm a teacher and I gotta say, this is BS. Look, outside of my city no one even knows about my school. Sure it's nationally certified and what not, but so are most schools. What matters the most is how I sell myself at the interview. I have friends who went to pricey, private, specialized schools and, sure, they got jobs. But so did I. And we're getting paid the same amount. And I don't have school loans. So who wins? Me.

Plus, the shit they "teach" you in university is just that- shit. The only important part in my opinion is the content knowledge you learn. You can't teach someone to be a good teacher. And there's plenty of things they just don't go over in class, like what do you do when some 14 year old tells you they're pregnant. Or when an angry parent calls you and screams at you on the phone. Or when you're being pressured to have all your kids pass the exact same test or you'll be fired.

I do agree about the licensure. You should get licensed in the state where you plan to teach. Getting a new license for new states is a serious pain in the ass.

[Tooki]

Unless you go to an elite school like an Ivy League or Oxford/Cambridge/Stanford etc, nobody will give a fuck about where you study. It will come down to your experience and references.

[lucybelle]

Unless you go to an elite school like an Ivy League or Oxford/Cambridge/Stanford etc, nobody will give a fuck about where you study. It will come down to your experience and references.

Not a single interviewer asked where I went to school. Nor looked at my GPA. (which was high, fyi )

[Moon]

If your first choice of school is one you've always wanted to attend, or you really feel strongly about attending, then pick school over CD, you won't get another chance, most likely. Regardless of what may or may not happen in your relationship, the one thing no one can take from you is your education. If the other school would be acceptable to you, even if your SO wasn't there, then go, but do it for yourself. Just remember, if he really is the man you'll marry, you have many, many years to spend together, the time you'll be in school is just a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of your life, so don't base your decision solely on a few short years away from each other. If you think about it, with how many breaks you get as a student, you're only talking about being away from each other a few months at a time.

[itsmechelsea]

At the end of the day, It ALL melts down to what YOU wanna do. Education is super important, but so is maintaining a relationship. Is being away for a little longer that much of a struggle? Or can you kick it in the ass for a little while longer?

[Kiyama]

I'm with lucybelle. I'm a teacher and it is a completely different situation, compared to other jobs. No one cares where you got your degree and to be very honest, you don't learn much about teaching at uni anyway. I went to one of the so called prestige universities in Germany and the main thing you learn is about your subject but not how you teach it. That's what you will learn when you have your training
I usually say put education first but in this case I think you can be happy close distance and still get the degree you want and need. Good luck

[Tooki]

Not a single interviewer asked where I went to school. Nor looked at my GPA. (which was high, fyi )

That's more of a reason to close the distance!

[LittleBox]

Since its not a matter of foregoing your education to close the distance, I'd do a little more research into the school in your SO's state. See if they have internships or a co-op program that could help you with hands-on experience which is a huge asset when it comes applying for jobs. Look at the student reviews and if they're available other stats from a different source. In Canada MacLeans publishes University reviews every year which include rankings and other helpful info. There should definitely be a US version. Make a pro/con list while you're at it too. You might learn something new about the other school that would change your perspective

Like a couple of others have mentioned, prestige isn't everything. Its how you present yourself.

Good luck