Did anyone here take the covid tracer class offered by Johns Hopkins? My daughter may want to take the free course and possibly get that job. Does anyone know, does she need to buy the coursera certificate if we want to follow up and get the job? I think it costs $45 or so. Or is the certificate not a prerequisite to getting the job?
I’m confused why some tracers are volunteer and some are paid.
I think being a tracer is a paid job. My question is does one have to pay for the certificate for the “free” course as a prerequisite to be hired?
I think it varies a lot state-by-state, @silverpurple. In my state, they’re not hiring people, but using internal employees in public health, with possibly using public health upperclassmen and grad students if they need extra hands. I’d check with your health department before investing anything - unless your daughter just wants to do it for fun. BTW, I think @“Cardinal Fang” is taking the course.
I think i will take the course for fun actually. My daughter is interested as a job. We are in ny.
In our state, I think they’re using public health employees and nursing students are the extras if needed. At least that’s what’s been announced in press conferences here. I’d ask your state dept of health for anyone interested in getting a job—they’re likely the folks in charge of it.
The course is free. When you put it in your shopping cart and checkout, the cost (I think it was $49) is removed. I am taking it now and find it very interesting. It is making me feel less anxious knowing the facts vs. hearing news reports. Contact tracing is a paid job. I have seen hourly wages from about $12 through $35 an hour depending on the state. Most states prefer a resident, and many job listings are also seeking applicants with some background in public health, though it doesn’t seem to be a requirement. I sent a friend the link and the course was full and not taking any additional students.
ETA, I just saw that you were asking about the certificate, not the course. Duh, sorry about that. I do not know the answer but I’m hopeful you won’t have to pay for the certificate.
I’m taking the course as well and I too find it interesting. I don’t know about the certificate but I’m not really concerned about it.
My state (NJ) set up a website to collect info from people interested in contact tracing. It asked you to check whether you were wanted full time or part time work, paid or volunteer and you can check as many as a you want. There were no questions as to your background. I think they are going to do their own training and if nothing else I see the Johns Hopkins course as evidence of your seriousness in obtaining a position.
I am also taking the course. It is only 5 hours long and it looks like there is no charge for the certificate. I’m about 3 hours into it, along with 1,100 others. There are short quizzes after each segment. It is fairly easy. I would recommend it, even if you do not want to become a tracer, as it is fairly informative. Ohio is paying $19/hour if I manage to get hired.
@toledo , thanks for letting me know. Do you watch it at your own pace or do you watch ot at a certain time with everyone? I assume it is at your time of choice like a safe driving online insurance reduction class.
You watch at your own pace. As you get to certain points, they tell you how many others have gotten to that point.
The university I work for is training nursing, public health and physician assistant students to voluntarily conduct COVID tracing.
A volunteer would be illegal under CA labor laws, but other states are different.
Does this freak anyone else out? Contract tracing in general, and having it done by just anyone?
I’m no consipiracy theorist or anti government sort or anything like that, and I’m taking the virus very seriously, staying a home, etc…I’m fine putting public health above my own personal freedom for the greater good. And I have nothing to hide.
But the privacy invasion and potentiality for hacking, identity theft, scams etc, with contract tracing worries me. And if it worries me, there surely are so many people out there WAY beyond where I find myself on the privacy/liberty spectrum that I just don’t know that I have confidence that people will comply. Or that I have confidence that people (hackers, scammers) won’t use contract tracing to greedy, illegal ends.
@toledo yesterday, when I read about this, I was curious and looked it up, and the Ohio job posting had been taken down…
EDIT: I don’t want to derail the thread however, and no judgement against anyone looking into this for a job.
So, TS0104, it sounds like your worried about the health department’s computer security. Is that correct?
Contact-tracing is not new. It’s a standard public health tool that’s been used for a century to control TB and STDs. It was also a key component of eradicating smallpox. They tracked down every last case.
People that cite fearing the contact tracing all will have given over their details and permissions to almost all the apps on their phone plus social media without even reading the TOS. Your info is on the web, search yourself. Your phone number and email address is there. If you have a bank, they sell your info, if you have an account at online retail, they will be hack able. If you pay tuition online, fill in fafsa, do CSS, your info is there for the taking. If you get unsolicited credit card applications in the mail, you have proof that your financials are available. Did you do the census online?
OK, I surrender! I don’t feel any better (and no, I don’t give all my apps permission to access all of my contacts and stuff), but I don’t want to derail this thread from its intent of discussing the job itself.
To quote a tech leader - you have no privacy. Get over it. 