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A news outlet in Ann Arbor, Mich., reports on a local educator—a former nonprofit professional in her 40s with an MA in education and an endorsement in learning disabilities—who has been

looking for a permanent full-time teaching position for seven years now. The article notes that, amid budget cuts, Michigan has shed about 10,000 teaching jobs (nine percent of its total)

since 2004-05, making the competition for open positions fierce. “What is expected of a teacher today going into the field, you have to be at the top of your game with everything,” the

job-hunting teacher said. “Administrators have the pick of the litter.” The challenge is compounded for older teachers with advanced degrees, according to the story, since cash-strapped

districts tend to be on the lookout for less experienced—and thus less expensive—candidates.