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The idea that teachers should pass a test to remain employed requires us to ignore reality. As government employees, teachers are virtually immune from firing. In addition, more than a century ago the lesding teachers’ association rejected the idea of evaluating teachers.But even if it were possible to introduce a test — at least as tests are usually understood — I believe no test could be created that would prove a significant number of teachers incompetent to the degree necessary to require dismissal. Further, any measure of teachers must be a measure of student improvement from their specific effort. This is best tested by standardized subject-by-subject tests.The US has no required national measure of skills and knowledge, for example, to guarantee that a college, high school, or elementary school graduate has met a given standard. Each school grants diplomas based on its own criteria, with the focus, not on results (learning) but on various other things: teacher certification, curricula, hours in classes, etc.Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations (1776) pointed out that the employment of teachers by institutions (universities, government, etc.) was doomed to perform poorly. Only direct employment of a teacher by a student provides the necessary incentive to motivate outstanding teachers to provide valuable learning to the student. In other cases, the teacher must avoid displeasing the institution — the student is largely irrelevant and compelled to accept what is provided, even if it is of little benefit.The only real test of a teacher is the beneficial learning of an individual student.

First, all the rest is pointless if you don't hold an academic degree in a qualifying major field of study. You need at least a baccalaureate degree, which must be earned in at least one of the following:(1) any branch of engineering (not technology!),(2) any physical science (e.g.: chemistry, geology, physics),(3) any biological science (e.g.: biology, botany, zoology), or(4) mathematics (including mathematical sciences, applied maths, statistics, and computer science).Following up with one or more advanced degrees (e.g.: MSc, PhD, MD) is always a good plan. The main thing here is to identify a subject in these areas that you're good at and that you actually enjoy, and run with that -- do not arbitrarily choose a major simply because you think it will look good enough on paper to get you selected (wrong reason!). I.e.: just because the most-represented single field in the Astronaut Office happens to be engineering is not a good reason to major in engineering, especially if -- for example -- you find geology or medicine more appealing.Going to university on an ROTC scholarship is a good way to get that higher education paid for, however there are other options as well in the event that doesn't work out. It's also not a big deal if you begin gaining work and/or military experience even before getting your degree(s) and/or flight training, and can even be a great avenue to be able to pay your own way through these. In my case, after being turned away from Warrant Officer Flight Training by the US Army (excessive myopia, despite holding an FAA Class 1 medical, being correctable to better than 20/10 with a spectacle correction, and already being a civilian pilot with prior service -- 4 years as a radio operator on a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol team at the time), I transferred to an Air Force Reserve unit for the next six years as a flying crew chief and flight engineer with an airlift wing that was flying the C-5A all over the world. In addition to my crewmember experience on the C-5, I continued taking civil flight training (SE, glider and helicopter, instrument, aerobatics), university courses and course credit by examination, and SCUBA training in my off-duty time at my own expense. After a lengthy break in service following the Gulf War, I ended up going back into the Army as a ground troop. As a result of qualifying for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits (due to two combat tours in Iraq), I went on to complete two master's degrees and am now on my way to medical school. The point I'm making here is that it's not absolutely essential to get all your academic credentials early in life.While getting your flight training and time-building experience through the military is ideal, there are other ways of gaining that 1000+ hours of pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft (no, it does NOT need to be on fighter/attack type machines!). I know of quite a lot of former enlisted guys who took all their flight training through civilian sources during their off-duty time and went on to fly jet transports for various commuter/regional airlines and corporate flight departments. If you end up drawing a slot as a non-pilot crewmember (e.g.: AF Combat Systems Operator, Naval Flight Officer, Flight Surgeon, or any of the myriad enlisted aircrew positions), the experience is still extremely useful, and -- all else being equal -- will still set you apart from those applicants with no flight-crew experience at all.Don't forget that there are also plenty of people who've gotten selected that had non-aviation assignments during most of their military careers (e.g.: Jim Voss spent most of his Army career as an infantry officer; Joseph Acaba served as a combat engineer in the Marine Reserve -- and wasn't "even" an officer! -- while teaching high school in civil life; at least one former Soviet cosmonaut completed his national service as a tank commander), plus a significant number that were never even in the military at all. The main thing to remember is that the quality of the experience you gain wherever you end up working along the way is what you make of it, so know how to present it in a way that's going to mark you as unique (e.g.: if you worked your way through university as, for example, an automotive mechanic or a construction worker, say so, and be thorough in how you present your past use of tools!).CAVEATS: At the postgraduate level, if you're a biological sciences person, an advanced degree in neuroscience (a/k/a physiological psychology), clinical/experimental psychology, medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy & pharmacology, or veterinary medicine can be excellent follow-ons after your undergraduate studies. However, degrees in the following are to be avoided unless you have something else (preferably at the postgraduate level) that does count under the basic science/engineering heading:general psychology, or any field of psychology other than clinical, experimental or physiological. The latter three must be specifically listed on your transcript and the degree itselfsocial work -- steer very clear of any MSW program if you started out as a mental health person!nursing -- having it isn't actually a "bad" thing, but be aware that if you do, it's only "extra" and is not qualifying in its own rightexercise physiology, kinesiology, sports science or any similar physiology program one finds taught outside of a medical school or biology department -- whether fairly or unfairly, these are dismissively viewed as "phys-ed with books"respiratory therapy / respiratory care / other "allied health" fields; again, having any of these quals under your belt doesn't hurt as an "additional skill", but be aware that these are merely "extra" and will not -- by themselves -- get you inWhile I personally cannot imagine a Master of Science degree as a physician assistant (PA) not being qualifying, or at least being positively viewed under the "progressively responsible professional experience" criterion (let's suppose for the sake of argument that a high-speed PA-C picked this up after earning an undergraduate degree in biology or biochemistry, and perhaps even had yet another science degree to go with it), to date no PA has actually been selected. If you wish to be a test-case, go ahead, but do be aware!So-called "aviation", "aviation management", "aviation technology" and "aviation/aerospace science" degrees are specifically not qualifying! These are little more than scams by which high-dollar vocational schools technically qualify for additional funding under various student loan programs by turning pilot/mechanic certificate curricula into a nominal "degree" program. If you do one of these programs to get your flight training, it's one of the most expensive ways to pull it off that there is. Me? I'm proud to say that I do not have a so-called "degree in aviation"; I have a commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating, a ground instructor certificate with advanced and instrument ratings, and experience as a former USAF flight engineer, airframe technician, and civilian flight test engineer (FTE -- despite my lack of an engineering degree).Now that we've beaten the "what to avoid" issue to death, let's talk about what you should take, regardless of what you choose as your major field of study. Make certain that you've taken -- and passed -- the following:First-year chemistry and first-year physics (preferably the calculus-based version); these will typically be required by virtually every accredited university in any case if you're registered in one of the qualifying majors. A few exceptions exist where, for example, a biology or geology major may not be required to take these, however this is rare and if it applies to you at your school, then make every effort to take -- and pass! -- these courses anyway, even if your advisor tries to tell you that you don't need them (yes, you actually do!). Following up with a course in either thermodynamics (under the engineering department) or in physical chemistry (under either the chemistry or physics department) can be useful, even if potentially "overkill".While you will have had all of the usual precalculus maths, to include algebra (i.e.: "college algebra" is the two-year sequence you slept through back at high school, but squeezed into a single semester), trigonometry, matrix operations, set theory and statistics, you will need differential and integral calculus for equations of one variable (typically covered in Calculus I and II) as a bare minimum, ideally followed by the same for equations of several variables (Calculus III). These will be compulsory if you choose to major in mathematics, physics or any field of engineering, but if you do other sciences, they may simply be brushed off as "extra". Take them anyway, even if it means taking post-baccalaureate courses at your own expense after you get your degree! Also, make every effort to take at least a first-course each in linear algebra, differential equations, and vector analysis; these are all very applicable to the mathematical operations of orbital mechanics.Ideally, no matter what your chosen degree specialty happens to end up being, you can hardly go wrong if your academic plan includes meeting all of the following:Compliance with typical community college pre-engineering curricula.Satisfying all academic prerequisites for admission to an accredited school of medicine, dentistry or optometry.Qualifying for an academic minor (or the equivalent) in mathematics.Staying out of trouble goes without saying, and on the medical standards, if you can maintain an FAA Airman Medical Certificate First-Class, you should do just fine with the NASA screening. Good luck, and keep up the interest!

Free Code Camp may eventually teach additional back end languages.For our Back End Development Certification, we currently focus 100% on Node + Express.Some popular alternatives to Node + Express include:Java + SpringPHP + LaravelRuby + RailsRuby + SinatraPython + DjangoPython + FlaskGo + RevelElixir + PhoenixThe main reasons we've chosen to stay focused on full stack JavaScript with Node + Express are:Node + Express accomplish the same things that other frameworks do, but with only JavaScript - a language that all web developers are already familiar with.Node + Express have access to a much larger ecosystem of packages than these other languages: npmNode + Express already enjoy much wider adoption by large employers like Paypal, Netflix, and Microsoft than any of these other frameworks, so if you learn it's easier to get a job.Hundreds of campers have gotten software engineering jobs after learning coding with Free Code Camp. Many of them now have jobs where they work primarily with these other back end tools like Ruby + Rails. They are able to quickly parlay their knowledge of Node + Express into quickly learning these other tools on the job after they get hired.We may eventually build alternate back end curricula for Java + Spring, Python + Django, or even Elixir + Phoenix.But right now we're focused 100% on full stack JavaScript, and that's what we recommend you focus on, too.It's much better to learn one language and stack thoroughly than to merely dabble in several stacks. And since Node + Express seems to be the current winner among frameworks, and JavaScript is essential anyway, it makes sense to just focus your learning effort on full stack JavaScript.