by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman
Since December 2007, according to the New York Times, New Jersey’s financial sector has lost 16, 000 jobs.
Kathy Marshall, a 44-year-old financial analyst from Chatham with an MBA and 20 years experience is one of its victims.
However, in March of this year, the state legislature in New Jersey approved a pilot program called Traders to Teachers, designed to turn unemployed finance professionals into math teachers in three months. As a person who had always thought about teaching, Kathy found a way to start a new career.
Within 48 hours of the unveiling of the program, 200 people called and inquiries have continued.
While the fast track certification will ease the shortage of teachers, state officials insist that quality teaching won’t be compromised. And while there is a large differential in pay between their former jobs, which averaged $98,000 and that of a teacher, applicants are looking forward to the career change.
It will be interesting to see when things are better in the financial world if these newly-minted teachers will stay.
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