The U.S. Dept of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a variety
of free statistics on the US labor market, including local wage rates.
I've assumed in my answer below that a reading specialist is
assisting people with learning disabilities to read.
Librarians average for the Detroit Metro Area is $53,010
Special Education Teachers, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary
School average $55,500
Special Education Teachers, Middle School average $47,610
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School average $55,090
This includes the Detroit Metro area. See this page for further
details. Click on the occupation code for a more detailed description
of the occupations.
http://www.bls.gov/oes/2001/oes_2160.htm#b25-0000
For more general information on training and the job market, you can
also try the Bureau's free, online Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2002-03 Edition. For Special Ed: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos070.htm.
An example of the outlook informaton "Employment of special education
teachers is expected to increase faster than the average for all
occupations through 2010, spurred by continued growth in the number of
special education students needing services, legislation emphasizing
training and employment for individuals with disabilities, and
educational reforms requiring higher standards for graduation. The
need to replace special education teachers who switch to general
education, change careers altogether, or retire will lead to
additional job openings. At the same time, many school districts
report shortages of qualified teachers. As a result, special education
teachers should have excellent job prospects.
The job outlook varies by geographic area and specialty. Although all
areas of the country report difficulty finding qualified applicants,
positions in inner cities and rural areas usually are more plentiful
than job openings in suburban or wealthy urban areas. Student
populations, in general, also are expected to increase significantly
in several States in the West and South, resulting in increased demand
for special education teachers in these regions. In addition, job
opportunities may be better in certain specialties-such as speech or
language impairments, and learning disabilities-because of large
enrollment increases of special education students classified under
these disability categories. Legislation encouraging early
intervention and special education for infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers has created a need for early childhood special education
teachers. Special education teachers who are bilingual or have
multicultural experience also are needed to work with an increasingly
diverse student population"
For Librarians: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm. Example of
outlook information:
"Employment of librarians is expected to grow more slowly than the
average for all occupations over the 2000-10 period. The increasing
use of computerized information storage and retrieval systems
continues to contribute to slow growth in the demand for librarians.
Computerized systems make cataloguing easier, which library
technicians now handle. In addition, many libraries are equipped for
users to access library computers directly from their homes or
offices. These systems allow users to bypass librarians and conduct
research on their own. However, librarians are needed to manage staff,
help users develop database searching techniques, address complicated
reference requests, and define users' needs. Despite expectations of
slower-than-average employment growth, the need to replace librarians
as they retire will result in numerous additional job openings"
Both pages offer additional links for more specific information. Of
course, it also helps to speak with your local librarian. I'm sure
that they would be willing to speak with you about their job.
Tracking down a reading specialist might be hard, but try calling a
local school. Since both of these jobs require a college education,
talk to your university career and placement department and the
education department. In the Detroit area, both Wayne and U of Mich
have masters in library science (any undergrad major is accepted).
There are many good schools in Michigan for education, paticularly
Michigan State Univeristy as well as Wayne and U of Michigan.
Good luck! |
