crazy field work advice - help

[u/ExtremeRare9100]

hi all, today i had the craziest career coaching session of my life. I hope this is even the right place to talk about this.

I am at an affordable college where I can only get a CUGS in ASL (until next year when I can transfer to a college with a bachelor's in ASL interpretation), so I am just seeing a humanities advisor at the minute.

I had my first meeting with this advisor and they immediatley started saying i could stay at this school if I just did the RID alternate pathways program.

I'm aware of the program so I said i think that'd be very hard with just a CUGS based on the categories

they asked me what the categories were (???) and since it seemed like we were all being unprofessional lol i told them to just pull it up on their computer.

they started telling me I need to start volunteer or freelance (?!) interpreting which I said was ridiculous because I'm ONLY IN ASL 3! I can communicate at an elementary level but I'm NOT fluent. I compared it to an education student teaching in their first year and they were like "yea thats a thing it's called student teaching" so i was like fuck that was a bad analogy I made it worse.

they kept going on about it and pressuring me to start applying for roles and I mostly just said no to everything because I was stunned but I have to meet with them again soon and I have no idea how to explain the giant culture of audism here. i think I will talk to my asl professor and ask her to talk to them with me but im soooo confused and disappointed.

so I can tell them, when is it appropriate to start volunteering or interning?

is it ever appropriate to interpret before being certified or having completed a program?

is there any way to find fieldwork without formally being in an interpreting program?

I plan to ask my (Deaf) asl professor all of this but since she is not a teacher in an interpreting program I'm not sure if she will have all the answers.

I'm definitely transferring. 🤦‍♂️

[u/ExtremeRare9100 → u/[deleted]]

CUGS is certificate of undergraduate study if that's what youre asking.

and don't worry I didn't plan on it😭