Job Advancement Opportunities (outside of becoming a teacher)

There's three really good ways of job advancement that I can think of.  Each of them has their own benefits, and their own prerequisites.  Some of them have little quirks too.  This is not a comprehensive list- just things that I've been seeing that have natural job advancement paths for paraprofessionals willing to get up, do the extra trainings, go the extra mile, etc, without trying to be teachers themselves. 

The other thing to keep a note of is that this is for people who live in Illinois.  People in other states may well have better advancement opportunities due to...  well, the state actually paying the people who work in that profession with money instead of IOUs.

1.  QMRP

Okay, QMRP is a word that's been used by people everywhere.  It stands for Qualified Mental Retardation Professional.  Most states haven't changed the language, since it's something that everyone says, and has a very specific role organizationally.  Illinois, however, decided that they should change it anyways, and it's QIDP, which stands for Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional.  Functionally, they're the exact same thing.  They act as a case-worker as opposed to a direct service staff, are given a little more money, and a little more responsibility.

http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=45705
http://www.dhs.state.il.us/onenetlibrary/12/documents/Forms/IL462-0130.pdf

Depending on your educational background, being qualified to take the training could be easier or harder.  I, for instance, have a business degree, so I'd have to argue to have it be something relevant.  Then I'd have to take the training.  I'd do some research if I were you, about who is hiring QIDPs and how much they make, if you were interested in this route. 

2.  Intraorganizational Advancement

Because these organizations are larger, and not affiliated primarily with the education field, they have positions that are more general, which may not require the degrees or certifications that are often required by state.  For me, that means that I might have luck in the business side of things, after perhaps doing some job shadowing and volunteering.  It'll be kinda hellish for a bit, but it'd give me a position that I could pretty much take to any company, and be considered valuable for it.

http://sj.tbe.taleo.net/CH18/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp?org=LITTLECITY&cws=1
http://www.misericordia.com/careers/default.aspx
http://www.clearbrook.org/jobs

What I'm going to say now has to do with my experience with Little City and business culture in general, but MAY not be applicable to Clearbrook or Miseracordia.  After my probationary period (90 days, which they don't offer any of the benefits.  P. typical for non-profits and for-profits), I can apply with special privilege to other places within the organization, and simply be moved there.  That means getting job advancement is a lot easier once I've already begun to work for Little City.  It also means that if I wanted to live in Chicago instead of Palatine (which I very well may), that after 90 days, I could apply for a switch, and not have any major difficulties because of it.

3.  Educator Funding

The final possibility is that if you want to play more of an educator role, many school districts, and the state government often have money set aside for people who want to become educators.  The money comes with stipulations (like, for Illinois, if you take money to become a special education teacher, you have to work in Illinois as a special education teacher for four years), and probably would be more available in more traditional school districts.  I don't have a lot of specific information for this, so if anyone else does, just post in the comments, and I'd be happy to amend the post here..  I know money is tight in Illinois, so my information on this might be a bit dated.  But if you wanted to eventually become a specialist or a teacher, this might be a good route to strive for.


Special Note:This is the kind of post that might be updated somewhat regularly, as it is one of the biggest question marks, I feel, in a paraprofessional's career:  I make no money, where do I go next?  Now, my personal method of job advancement was to try and start a day program myself, and if you had the funds from loans, good business experience and ethic, a couple of good partners, some grant writing experience, some salesmanship background, a good accountant and a good lawyer...  That might be a good option for you too.  Skip the middleman, and become your own boss.  I'll write much more detailed articles involving that, however, given that my experience lends me the insight to write those articles separately.

As always, any personal insight, please send me an e-mail at barrypetersen2@gmail.com or add something onto the comments section below.