From Amazon Driver to Certified Teacher in Georgia
Published: | by Alex Skov
All through college, Anthony Costa found himself tutoring his classmates, helping them understand the more technical parts of their audio production coursework. Then, as he explored different fields of work after graduation, he kept earning roles training his colleagues.
So when Costa found himself working as a delivery driver for Amazon, he knew that wasn’t the final destination in his professional journey. Looking back on his experience and thinking about his next steps, Costa decided to earn his teacher certification.
“It just felt like the right thing to do,” he said.
Finding a Clear Path to Certification
To teach in Georgia without a traditional education degree, Costa needed to go through an alternative certification route.
“When you first try to get certified, finding information that lays out exactly what to do from A to Z is kind of hard,” he said. “Moreland was one of the only places where when I went on the website, it clearly had it outlined.”
Costa quickly scheduled a call with an admissions representative, who provided more information about the 100% online, 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program as well as Moreland University’s rolling admissions and monthly start dates.
“Moreland laid it out for me from the get-go, so what made me drawn to it was the ease of, ‘This is actually going to work for the regulations in my state,'” Costa remembered.
He enrolled and got to work.
A Cohort That Raised the Bar
After the intro module, Costa and his cohort began building their first real projects. Costa turned in something he was “satisfied with” — the kind of work he would have submitted as an undergrad.
Many of his cohort members were already working teachers or career educators, though, and Costa noticed a difference between their projects and his.
“It really kind of flipped a switch,” he said, “like, ‘I’m not just making an assignment for a class. I’m pitching my work and my research to people who may otherwise be unfamiliar with it.'”
From Costa’s perspective, it was the same thing he’d be doing when leading a classroom. That reframing stuck with him, and so did the motivation he drew from his cohort.
“It really pushed me to give the best work possible,” he said. “They were already educators, so I got to see what they were able to accomplish, and it really helped set me up for success.”
Lessons From Sales Floors and Stockrooms
While Costa didn’t have a traditional teaching background, he did have transferable skills that made the career transition easier.
One summer, he did door-to-door sales in Chicago, learning to be comfortable and confident talking “in front of anyone.”
Another time, Costa worked in asset protection and theft prevention for a Target store near a high school.
“Something I learned dealing with kids in that situation is, the first impression is always the most important thing,” he noted.
It’s a notion that naturally carries over to a classroom environment.
“Even if you know the content like the back of your hand, if you come off in the beginning like you don’t know what you’re talking about, they’re going to question you,” he realized.
But walk in with confidence, and young people respond with curiosity instead of skepticism. That’s the version of himself he brings into his classroom now.
From Student Teaching to a Full-Time Job
Costa completed his clinical teaching in 6th grade world history before moving into a long-term substitute position teaching 8th grade health at the same school. This fall, he’s moving up to the high school level, teaching 9th and 12th grade students.
While many of the freshmen are students he taught as a sub, taking on a senior class will be new territory.
“I will see how that pans out,” he said with a chuckle.
Having already met with his new administrators, reviewed the list of resources available to him, and decided what to keep and what to rework from the previous teacher’s syllabus, Costa is thinking ahead about how to best build lesson plans and differentiate them. It’s a habit he honed during his certification program.
“I wouldn’t really know where to begin if it wasn’t for Moreland showing me the structure,” he said. “I’ve continued to use the Moreland template for unit and lesson planning. I duplicate it in my Google Drive almost every day and work off that.”
What’s Next
On the calendar, Costa isn’t far removed from driving an Amazon van. But in his career — heading into a new school year with a full-time teaching role, a stack of tools he’s excited to use, and a lesson-planning process he trusts — Costa is covering distance quickly.
And he may not be done.
“I already had a great experience with Moreland, and I can only assume that experience is even more elevated in a master’s program,” he said.
Ready to make a career move of your own? Moreland is here to support you. Complete your free application to our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes to take this important step in your professional journey, and most applicants hear back within 2 business days.
