A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Education on $1,000.00 budget. - Aaron

Posted: Jul 15, 2011

I may be able to raise one thousand dollars in a few months time. Are there any worthwhile schools online that I can enroll in for MT? Which are the best within the budget limit? Which do you suggest?

budget - check these

[ In Reply To ..]
check this forum for the best schools and make sure they will have the SUM program, and have job-finding assistance when you are done as it is going to be hard to find a job when you are done. Have you looked at the pros and cons of being an MT in this day and age? If you are looking to make a living and support a family find something else, if you are just going to supplement an income, it will be okay. Been doing this 37 years and the wages are going down the toilet fast. Lost over $10,000 last year compared to the year before.

Income while in college - Aaron

[ In Reply To ..]
I am simply looking for an income while I go to college. I haven't researched much into it yet, I only though of this since a friend of mine has been doing it for a few years and because doing something from home would be easier due to my health.

How much of a work load would I have to take on to reach a $15k - $20k a year income as a newb?

First you have to get HIRED as a newbie - Maggie

[ In Reply To ..]
Have you seen the many, many posts on here from people who can't get an MT job because "everybody wants 2 years' experience" and also from the experienced MTs who are barely making minimum wage and are working 10 to 12 hours a day to get by?

You said you haven't researched much into it yet, all I can do is suggest you do a lot more research before you spend ANY money on becoming MT. Sure, there are some people making a reasonable living at it, but they are getting fewer and fewer, as more and more of the work goes either to voice recognition or overseas.

You would have to work probaby at least 40 hours - sm - XXX

[ In Reply To ..]
a week. I work 50-70 hours a week and make approx $2200 a month. There are many variables that affect your time...how much do you have to look up (as a newbie you will be looking up a lot, do you have a good referencing abilities and can find what you are looking for quickly...you make no money while you look stuff up), what is your pay rate, it is straight typing, is it all VR, is it all ESL, etc. You have to kiss a lot of frogs unless you are extremely lucky to get a job with a good MTSO that pays okay, has good dictators, easy platform, etc. It took me about 6-7 years to find my happy ending, so finding a good fit right off the bat is unlikely, that and getting hired as a newbie is tough, easier if you have some buddies already doing it though as they might get you a shot at where they work. Otherwise it is apply, apply, apply and make cold calls. If you can stand standing, I would just get a job somewhere local, cashier, etc. if you can. In any case this is not a easy quick fix.

Aaron - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
You cannot afford to "cheap out," ESPECIALLY if money is tight for you. Sure, you will be able to find some "institute" or the other in your price range, but I do not want to see even one more person added to the ranks of those who cannot find jobs because MTSOs simply will not hire from those schools. Have you talked with recruiters at M-TEC and/or Andrews? They would likely be able to work with you on some kind of payment plan, or at the very least, put things in perspective and give you some ideas. If you are going to get an MT education, it is worth doing well. Remember, this is a long-term investment that can affect the rest of your life and your earning capability. Read the archives and see the many sad recollections by people who went to cheap schools and then could not get hired. Or if they did get hired, they could not keep their jobs because they did now know nearly enough to perform adequately. Remember, you get what you pay for. What you want to look for: 1. Does the school use the SUM program? 2. Do you have access to real, LIVE instructors as opposed to having to do self-correction with an answer key? Remember, you cannot know what you do not know. Aspiring MTs should not have to act as their own instructors. Think of the MT education as an INVESTMENT. Just as you would not invest in a shoddy house in a crummy and dangerous neighborhood just because it had a cheap mortage, neither should you invest in a subpar MT education. The competition for jobs is just brutal, and I know many MTSOs (I am a former MTSO) who will put applications from certain schools right into the circular file witout so much as a backward glance. So, rather than trying to make a good education fit a cheap budget, you might want to consider getting an education that will get you hired--and then you can pay back anything over the 1K it may cost to get a worthwhile education. Perhaps others on here can speak to this issue and give you some additional insight. Good luck to you.

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