Over the past several months I have been toying with the idea of a career move. Marketing has been incredibly creative and an exiting learning opportunity. It's been about 8 years since I embarked on this journey and I have been pondering a career move.
After I graduated college, I was not sure where I would end up. In fact, I went on 8 interviews before settling on working for a non-profit. It was there that I fell in love with the people, the job and the atmosphere of the non-profit. I had studied American Studies, which is a social science based in history, ethnography, sociology, psychology, etc. I was struggling with where this would take me professionally, and I landed a job in the non profit world. I was very naively excited. I worked at my first job for 2 years. It was awesome.
Over the last 6 or so years, as I have hopped from job to job, I have realized it's not the work so much that I mind. It's the atmosphere, the integrity or lack there of. Job #2 was a political nightmare, and if you made friends or enemies in the wrong place your chance of being promoted or being successful were slim to none. I finished my Master's Degree in Communications there.
Job # 3 was the 7th Circle of Hell. I enjoyed it for 6 months, when it turned into a sincere and total nightmare. My boss who was a female sexually harrassed me, and was generally hostile towards me. IMHO.
Job # 4. They hired me to do marketing and communications, and then they didn't want me to do that. I got laid off and was unemployed for 3 months.
Job # 5. Present job. I can't say much positive about it. I am fairly negative about the whole situation. Ultimately, it's a small company with good intentions. The atmosphere of late has been non-pleasant and generally hostile. We all put on happy faces but underneath it all there is an incredible amount of stress.
My mother is a teacher and I have FOREVER been flirting with teaching. I may have spent the last 8 years in spite of her not teaching. I just don't know that I am cut out for your typical 9 to 5 office job, where you show up and sit in front of a computer. I like humans, and human interaction. I like making a difference, and I like being able to help people. I see teaching as an opportunity to do all of these things, plus in this area it wouldn't be a pay cut at all.
I have been kicking these things around in my head over the last several weeks and I think I have fomulated a plan. The plan as of this hour and this minute is to quit this job August 1. To get a part time job in my building selling the apartments, or waiting tables and go to school full time in the fall to complete the 20+ credits that I need to teach History/Social Sciences in this great state. In the Spring, once I have the courses and I have passed the Praxis, I will be subbing to make ends meet.
The program that I am looking in allows you to take 18 credits to get quickly certified in these critical shortage areas and teach while you're taking these courses. This plan brings me a great deal of hope, and starts to show me that there may be light at the far end of the dark tunnel that is corporate america.
Toodloo for now. SB