I learned that there is is no single path into teaching. There are standards that need to be met by completing assessments that are then assessed by CTC and scored. How you meet those needs is through a teacher prep program that is approved by CTC.
Once in a program there are multiple paths to getting into a teaching position.

• take all the course work to work on the TPAs and TPEs.
• it is possible to take coursework that will help you satisfy TPA1 which is the minimum requirement (plus CSET, constitution class, Negative TB test, finger prints etc) to get an internship at a school. once you are in the classroom and as a paid intern, you can be supervised to met the requirements for TPAs 2-4 while you work.

I was drawn to pursuing my teaching credential becuase I wanted to innovate in public schools to develop a vocational track for the industrial arts. I am now extending these thoughts to include innovating how Industrial Arts teachers are trained and credentialed. The industrial arts teacher's assessments can share some standards with academic subjects, but quickly starts to diverge when you consider the special requirements of a machine shop and the nature of the hands-on learning environment. It is fundamentally a different mode of teaching.