u/FingersOnTheTapes

I am an ex music teacher trying to leave the music education field.

Outside of teaching music I have been most interested in becoming a BMET, but have also been considering other careers that involve either fixing things or helping people or both. Other than becoming a BMET I have been considering Medical Lab Technician and EEG Tech programs.

While I go back to school I will be supporting myself with a part time field service electronics repair tech job, as well as by substitute teaching and teaching the violin.

I am weighing the pros and cons of either getting an allied health degree versus coughing up for online CBET school. My main concern is how employable I will be in an adjacent field should I be unable to get a BMET job.

In this respect I feel that an allied health degree has a substantial advantage, I feel like the non BMET pathways it opens up are enjoyable fields that are quite lucrative. But I don't think I have a full sight picture of what employment with a BMET degree but no BMET job would look like.

Here's my point of view on my options:

Allied Health:

• Cheaper, local
• More versatile
• Attached to some other careers that look both tolerable and lucrative (MLT, EEG tech, rad tech, MRI)
• Less attractive to BMET employers
  • Though assuming this field service tech job goes well I will have a year or two of experience from it that I will be taking into BMET applications

CBET:

• More expensive but quicker
• More focused
• Don't know what non BMET employment with this degree looks like
  • I do quite enjoy repairing electronics
  • Employment could be less lucrative than allied health fallback options
• I definitely am vastly more interested in working as a BMET than the other options I have listed, it's definitely my main focus
• If my field service tech experience helps get me in the door, why double dip on an expensive and redundant degree?

Potential local EET associates?:

• Also cheap and local
• Could blend the benefits of both options
• Could also blend all of the drawbacks of both options
• Also don't know what non BMET employment looks like with this degree

What do you think? What would you do in my situation?

I’m surprised I can’t find one it seems like an obvious combination.