More personal than Oppo: Welp, I'm done

"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit) 03/09/2014 at 22:25 • Filed to: None

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Hi guys, I don't normally make personal posts on Oppo but this simply needs to be made an exception.

Right now I'm supposed to be in the middle of a career transition, and I'm doing student teaching right now for English at the secondary (high school) level. I know a lot of people have a lot of cliches to throw at a profession like that - under-appreciated, but high reward in intangible factors, yadda yadda. Here's the problem.

I've discovered the hard and expensive way that I absolutely hate it.

I've discovered this when I woke up one day and instead of going "wow time to work with kids!" I was thinking "I'm tempted to sleep in because it's a moot point because I'm tempted to turn in my resignation anyway." And after a few mornings in a row thinking that, I'm taking it as a sign. I've already scheduled a meeting where I do, indeed, plan to turn in my formal resignation.

So I'm wondering what to do now. This is far from the first career change I've embarked on. I do enjoy reading and writing which is why I wanted to teach English in the first place, and for the most part what I've written here on OppoLock seems appreciated, but I've had trouble parlaying that into a sustaining career. Not everyone is lucky enough to turn their hobbies into a career, and I guess the sooner I recognize that, the better. I'm wondering if I really do want a Jalop career (or as close as I can get to it) if I should join the salesforce at a dealership or even auto parts store (even though I suck at sales) or even take inventory at Walmart if I need to. If nothing else it's a job and at this point I don't even have the luxury of learning to live with it if I just want to live period.

And if I were to be brutally honest I think I'd rather work inventory at Walmart than teach in the public schools I've been exposed to anyway, but that's another post I can share if you want me to.

Nerd-Vol > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:31

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I'm sorry to hear that. I am at a crossroads of sorts as well. Follow your mind and your heart, and know that God has a plan for you. Best of luck with your situation.

JR1 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:31

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Obviously I don't know the full story but perhaps something less drastic like a change in schools would be a better life move.

Aaron James > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:32

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Can you look into private schools or hang in there for a couple years until you can get a university job? Is it the particular kids that you are having trouble with or the idea of teaching itself.

jkm7680 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:33

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You're an educator, use your degree! If you don't like what you are doing, then switch jobs, possibly as a writer, magazine author, or who knows? Keep teaching!
Best of luck to you!

Oh yeah and I heard this somewhere-"Choose a job that you love, and you will never works a day in your life."

For Sweden > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:39

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Crazy Idea:

I knew a guy that left teaching, became an air traffic controller, then became an upper manager with his national aviation authority.

Sasquatch > For Sweden 03/09/2014 at 22:50

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I am an Air Traffic Controller. It is a great job. The Faa is hiring now. Check out USAJOBS.gov

Tom McParland > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:53

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Hey HS English teacher of 9yrs here...I would like to talk this over more with you but my phone is about to die. I will be glad to continue this conversation tomorrow. If you don't mind sharing, what are the most frustrating aspects of your job?

desertdog5051 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:55

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Just my 2 cents. My housemate taught high school for many years. She burned out on it and went to work for a local Community College. She says there are still some "Dumb as a box of rocks" students, but they are there to learn and not just get passed on.

shop-teacher > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:56

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I applaud you for having the balls to leave education, now that you've discovered it isn't for you. I love teaching, but it is certainly not for everyone. Too many people stay in it, because they just don't know what else to do, or they don't have the guts to make a move.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 22:58

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You might consider a job with one of the various tech "consulting firms" They will sign on at a company, and then bring in trainers to teach a specific software package. You get good at one software set, and then you get to train it wherever they need you. Compenses (sp?) traveling coaches... something like one of those guys.

Pockets > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/09/2014 at 23:03

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Teaching is love it or hate it - I worked with someone who had tried it and gone back to his previous career. You've taken a good shot at it, and if it isn't for you then that's fine, really; You mention schools in the plural so that sounds like it isn't just the one school's situation but make sure it is the career choice not the particular job that is getting you down.

The key thing to take away is what does it tell you about what direction you need to go in - why did you pick being an English teacher in the first place?

Are there similar alternatives like adult education, teaching English as a second language (lots of universities have people to do that for foreign students), etc. or being a trainer for a business, technical writer, etc. ?

Until you break down what you like and hate about your current job and the specifics of what you like doing, then it's going to be difficult to say for sure if writing an instruction manual for some machinery is going to give you a chance to write that you'd enjoy, or bore you to tears.

I'd suggest getting a plan together before jumping, even if it's just a rough idea.

thebigbossyboss > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 03/09/2014 at 23:30

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My dad did that for years. It really depends what the firm is doing....in my dad's case he had to be an engineer to do it.

LionelHutzAttorneyAtLaw > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/10/2014 at 00:46

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Truthfully, to make a good recommendation, the people that respond to you need more information than what is written. Why did you choose teaching in the first place? What careers did you attempt in the past? Why did you choose those careers originally? Why did you leave those options? Why did you choose teaching after leaving those options? I am personally suspicious when friends and acqaintences who have gone through multiple career changes say they need to change yet again. To me, these situations feel as though the person considering the change didn't think deeply enough about what they are looking for in their career and/or life. Certain things that suck will always happen no matter what vocation is chosen. Even people who are doing what they were "born" to do have bad days. Even multiples in a row. I'm not saying your assessment of leaving is incorrect, it could, in fact, be correct. Its just that more info is needed.

thunder1979 > thebigbossyboss 03/10/2014 at 13:13

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My dad is doing it right now. He's an engineer who worked for a Nortel before they went out of business. He now works for a company developing training courses and then goes out and trains people that work for the big cell phone companies. Highly technical stuff, but he has a co-worker who was not in that field who does the same thing. He just has a lot more to learn before he can go out and teach it confidently, he says. Not being an engineer or being necessarily in the same field is a hinderance, but your background as a teacher should translate well into a corporate trainer type of field.

Mad Man Ryan > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 03/10/2014 at 13:37

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I'm in the same boat. I'm currently transitioning out of the military, and while I have a nice chunk saved up and a "plan", I know it's not going to be easy. The thing is, I realize that to get where I want I might have to work some where I might not like until I get to a point where I'm able to take the next step. This will come true, because I'm currently going to be going from active duty to full-time student at NCSU for computer engineering. I guess my point is, it's ok to work or do something to feed yourself while you are working towards getting to where you want to be. Hell, I'd be a damn janitor at a high school if I had to. I know it's temporary.